tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22606292585166702122014-10-03T01:00:06.496-04:00M. D. Dixon's Blog SpotA collaborated collection of various written excerpts, which up until now, have been hermetically sealed in a mayonaise jar hidden under Funk and Wagnals back porch.Mark Dixonnoreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260629258516670212.post-65928773384200256982010-06-19T03:30:00.000-04:002010-06-19T03:31:02.560-04:00Stopping the Gulf Oil LeakTaking the most simplified problem, British Petroleum has actually quoted that the oil is coming out of a 10.5" radius pipe at 30,000 psi. Put that in international SI units, and you have:<br /><br />r = 0.2667 m<br />P = 2.068427E+8 Pa<br /><br />Now, we can solve and find out why this is a major problem. First, find the area of the pipe's exit point, assuming that it's a straight cut. This is 6th grade math.<br /><br />A = π * r^2<br />A = π * (0.2667 m)^2<br />A = π * (0.7113 m^2)<br />A = 0.2235 m^2<br /><br />Now using the given pressure and the calculated area, find the force of the oil coming out of the pipe.<br /><br />F = P * A<br />F = (2.068427E+8 Pa) * (0.2235 m^2)<br />F = 46,220,607 N<br /><br />This gusher is basically like a rocket engine flipped over. 46 million newtons is a full order of magnitude larger than the thrust of the early rockets that NASA sent into space. So you have to overcome that force. Doesn't matter which way you try to do it, you have to overcome this force, and that's obviously a huge problem.<br /><br />To try to put things in perspective, look at it this way. If we were just to drop a single, solid block of mass <x> into the pipe to stop it from flowing, the *minimum* equalization mass would be, according to Newton's 2nd Law, where a = Earth gravity:<br /><br />m = F/ a<br />m = (46,220,617 N) / (9.81 m/s^2)<br />m = 4,711,582 kg<br /><br />I imagine you want that in Imperial units, which comes to about 10.4 million pounds. In other words, 5,200 tons (short). So what does 5,200 tons (short) "look like"? It's the equivalent mass of *seventy-seven* of the US Army's front-line M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks fully outfitted for combat with fuel and ammunition. Then you have to have them all stacked together in a single mass, because if you tried to just plop them down one after another, they'd just be blown aside by the oil "rocket."Mark Dixonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260629258516670212.post-85048947193479241582010-05-10T00:01:00.000-04:002010-05-10T00:03:09.215-04:00Life as a Yagna or SacrificeIn the middle of the fourth chapter of the Gita, certain instructions are given on the performance of different kinds of sacrifice, known as yajnas. The word 'yajna' is a very significant one throughout the Bhagavadgita, perhaps through most of the scriptures in India, indicating that the principle of life consists in sacrifice of some sort or the other. The philosophy of India may, in a way, be summed up by the word 'yajna' - sacrifice. Every moment of our life is a sacrifice that we perform in the direction of a higher fulfillment, and a sacrifice is therefore a gain and not a loss. In ordinary language we praise a person who has performed a sacrifice, thinking that sacrifice involves a sharing of one's joy with others, in a sense a sort of loss which one has voluntarily incurred for the welfare of other people. "Oh, what a sacrifice he has done," thus we ejaculate. This is our point of view - whenever we give something, we feel we lose something. Sacrifice, no doubt, means giving something, but it does not mean losing something. In giving, we do not lose. Give and it shall be given back hundredfold. It is difficult to understand the meaning of sacrifice, and a knowledge of it is absolutely necessary to understand the teachings of the Bhagavadgita. The whole of karma yoga, or any yoga for the matter of that, is centred round this principle governing all life and existence - the principle of yajna, sacrifice. <br /><br />In the fourth chapter, indications are given of the possibility of performing different kinds of sacrifice. A purely philosophical and spiritual touch is given to this description of the different forms of sacrifice here, because the Bhagavadgita is pre-eminently a spiritual gospel, a gospel of all life, and thus very comprehensive in its treatment of the basic values of life. Dravyayajna, yogoyajna, tapoyajna, jnanayajna are some of the terms used in this connection. Without going into the verbal or linguistic meaning of these terms, and without confusing you too much with the academic interpretations of these enunciations of the forms of sacrifice, I can clinch the whole matter by bringing you back to the process of cosmology, evolution - a thing we can never afford to forget throughout our studies because the story of creation or the procession of the cosmological event also suggests acutely the position we occupy in this world, our status in this universe, without which we can do nothing correctly, nor can we know anything properly. Yajna - sacrifice - whatever be the form it may take, is a summoning of the higher power into one's own self, and a consequent surrender of the lower self for the higher dimension of one's own being, known as the superior Self. <br /><br />It is also not easy to understand what this higher Self means; nor can we know what the lower self is. Though we may repeat these words again and again, and to some extent know their literal meanings, their practical suggestiveness is hard for the mind to grasp. The higher Self is not a spatially located, ascending series, but a more intensely inclusive and pervasive nature of our own self - something like the superiority of the waking consciousness over the dream consciousness. The waking mind is not kept over the dreaming mind, as one thing kept over another thing. The superiority, the transcendence of one thing over the other, or one thing being higher than the other, should not and does not suggest a spatial distance, but a logical superiority which is to be distinguished from spatial transcendence as someone sitting over another person's head. The cosmological scheme, to which we have made reference earlier, enlightens us into the fact that we as individuals or human beings are basically inseparable from the whole of creation, the five elements: earth, water, fire, air, ether; the five tanmatras: sabda, sparsa, rupa, rasa, gandha; and the whole of space-time itself. We are not outside this large complex of the expanse of the universe. Though this may be the fact, this also seems to be the conclusion that we are driven to by a study of the cosmological process. <br /><br />We, in our daily life, seem to be totally ignoring this fact; and by a complete violation of this principle, asserting our individuality, seem to be totally disconnected from everything else as if we have nothing to do with anybody else. We have various types of selfishness - attachment to one's own body is the grossest form of it, and it has subtler forms of egoism, such as psychological self-assertiveness. Attachment to anything that is connected to one's self also comes under the purview and the gamut of selfishness. Anything that would not accept the basic organic relations of one's self with what is external to one's self, should be considered as a form of selfishness, whatever be the height it has reached; it may be a national egoism, or even an international one, but it is nothing short of it. One cannot easily escape this predicament because of the perception of the world by the senses. The yajnas or the sacrifices mentioned here in the Bhagavadgita in the fourth chapter are, to some extent, gradational attempts on the part of the seeker to overcome selfishness and increase their dimension of one's self by attuning one's self to the larger Self, which is nothing but the establishment of an en rapport with a wider area of our relationship than the one to which we are limited at the present moment, due to our sensory outlook. Physically, psychologically, and even intellectually, we are somehow connected to other people and even the five elements, the tanmatras, the ahamkara, the mahat and the other things we have mentioned in the Samkhya cosmological scheme. So sacrifice, yajna, should therefore mean an inward transmutation of our consciousness in its apprehension of relationship with these layers or levels of cosmological descent and ascent; and there are, perhaps, as many types of sacrifice as we would recognise layers in the cosmological scheme. If we say there are infinite series, there can be infinite types of sacrifice. It depends upon our understanding of what the universe is and how the creation process has taken place. <br /><br />Again, I wish to bring to your memories our earlier studies concerning the structure of our personality and its connection with the outer world - namely, that internal to the body we have other types of apparatus like the sense organs, the pranas, the mind and the intellect, which have a tendency to affirm the physical individuality of the person, and affirm also all the attachments and aversions consequent upon this affirmation in respect of the outer world of persons and things. So, one kind of yajna or sacrifice would imply self-control, a restraining of the movement of the senses of the mind and the intellect, because an unrestrained set of senses, uncontrolled mind, and unsubdued intellect would mean a personality that is engulfed in a desire for spatial contact with persons and things outside, while really, persons and things are not outside. The reason for self-control arises because of the fact that the usual perceptions of the senses are erroneous perceptions, because the senses have no other work to do than to din into our minds the externality of the world, the outsideness of things, and the isolation of our self from other people. There is a continuous brainwashing process going on in our relationship to the senses; and we have no other relationship in the world, unfortunately. We are totally sense-ridden, and the world that we live in is a sense world. Our thinking process and our intellection also is conditioned by the knowledge provided to us by means of sense perception. There is a total misfortune descended upon us, as it were, considering the state of affairs in which we are now - socially, physically and psychologically. Socially we are in a misfortune because of a wrong understanding of our connection with other people, and psychologically so, because of our dependence, inwardly also, upon what we know by means of the senses, which is erroneous. So, self-control, which includes sense-control, is also mind-control, intellect-control, reason-control - the total control of one's own self. The control of one's self is the essence of yoga. Here a word of explanation may be necessary as to what is meant by control of one's self. What do we do with ourselves when we try to restrain our selves? For that we may need to know what we are. <br /><br />This again brings us to the point of the cosmological scheme. We can know, to some extent, what we are, by placing ourselves in the cosmological scheme, and we do not require instruction of any kind in this context, because the moment we know how we have come, we can also know where we are sitting. Our duties become explicit and perspicacious the moment we know our condition and the atmosphere in which we are living. The control of one's self - sense-restraint, self-control - is the restraint of consciousness, finally; it has little to do with our physical limbs. It is not tightening the legs, plugging the ears or closing the eyes physically speaking, because our joys and sorrows are the outcome of a movement of a consciousness in a particular way. Thoughts are joys and sorrows; so joys and sorrows are nothing but thought processes, which is another way of saying the whirling of consciousness in a particular manner. Our individualised consciousness, for the purpose of easy understanding - we may identify it with our mind in a more generalised sense - this individualised consciousness is the principle of the affirmation of individuality. The ego, the intellect, the reason, and what we think we are at the present moment - all these are inseparable from this type of activity of consciousness. Thus, self-control would mean a bringing back of the surging individual consciousness in the direction of external things, and enabling it to settle in its own self. This is the whole yoga of Patanjali, for instance, which summarises in two sutras - Yogah chitta vritti nirodhah; Tada drastuh svarupe avasthanam: "The restraint of the mind is yoga, and then there is establishment of self in its own self." Here is the whole of yoga in two sentences. <br /><br />Now, the establishment of consciousness in its own self is simultaneous with and inseparable from the restraint of consciousness from its movement in the direction of objects; and vice-versa - the restraint of consciousness in its movement in this form would be a movement in the other direction, for establishment in its own self. Every perception involves a degree of loss of self-consciousness. Whether we love a thing or hate a thing, we have lost ourselves in that measure and to that degree. An amount of ourselves, a quantum of our personality, moves out of itself towards that which we like or hate, and to that extent we are weakened. One who loves or hates is a weak person, because of the fact that some part of one's self is borne in the direction of that which is liked or hated. So to strengthen one's mind for the purpose of higher concentration, to free one's self from this weakness that has arisen on account of love and hatred, one has to bring the mind or consciousness back from that centre, which is the source of its like or dislike, and then there is a rejuvenation of ourselves. We feel an inner strength arising from a source unknown, due to the mere fact of our coming back to our own selves. Mostly, we are not in our own selves - we are other than what we are. This being other than what we are is the malady of life - we are always conscious of somebody else. There is no other work for us except to be aware that others are and to deal with others - with other people and other things. This so-called 'otherness' harasses us so much that we seem to be living in a world of destruction, death - mrityuloka as it is called - and nothing can be worse than this condition of ours. To be brooding over what is not there, and to be totally oblivious of what is there, seems to be the great business of this world. That things are not totally outside us is obliterated from our consciousness by the vehemence of this surge of ourselves in the direction of things. Yajna or sacrifice as yoga or self-control implies therefore an inner training, a sort of educational activity going on inside, enlightenment as it is, by which we become filled with strength with our inward bond with things - not as the senses tell us, but as things really stand. <br /><br />The world of sense-perception is conditioned by space-time and the various categories of the psychological process; while the thing, the person, the being, the substance as it is in itself, is behind this curtain of space-time. Our real being also is behind this curtain of the psycho-physical individuality. Thus we are living in a phenomenal world, both subjectively and objectively. The thing-in-itself, as they say, the substance as such, eludes the grasp of this phenomenal process - thus no man can see God, and the intellect of man is not fit enough to contact reality. Unless we develop a mechanism within our own selves to go deeper into this large area of phenomenality - subjectively as well as objectively - the plumbing into one's own self is also the plumbing through space and time. Modern science says the inward, subjective, subatomic philosophy of quantum theory is identical with the spatio-temporal theory of relativity - Tat tvam asi: That is this and this is That. The inward depth is also the outward plumbing of the abyss of space and time. The deeper we go inwardly, simultaneously there is a going deep into the outer cosmos - and vice-versa, the plumbing into the cosmos objectively would also imply a going deep into one's own self. Knowledge of the self is the knowledge of the universe, and the knowledge of the universe is the knowledge of the self. Atman is Brahman.<br />This is a profound philosophy that is hidden behind performance of sacrifice, self-control, practice of yoga, the control of senses, the restraint of the mind and the stabilising of the intellect and the reason. We have to perform a double process - sometimes mentioned in the Bhagavadgita and also in Patanjali - of vairagya and abhyasa, a dual action of withdrawal and union. The performance of this dual function may be said to be a simultaneous action taking place, as recovering from illness is also the regaining of health and the going away of night is the coming in of day. There is no temporal successiveness in these processes; they happen to be a simultaneous occurrence. Thus, the vairagya that we speak of in yoga, the dissociation of consciousness from erroneous thinking and contact, is simultaneously a concentration of consciousness on that which lies above itself - the lower self concentrates itself on the higher. <br /><br />Now I am coming to that point as to what the lower self is and what the higher Self is. The lower self is that state of consciousness which is conditioned by the urge in the direction of objects. The higher Self is that which is the condition of freedom, attained by even a single step taken by this involved consciousness in the direction of disentanglement with objects. Thus every ascent is a regaining of one's Self, and an asset on the side of strengthening of one's personality. Vairagya and abhyasa mean detachment and communion. Here, many people may get misguided due to the difficulty in understanding the true meaning of these terms, vairagya and abhyasa - renunciation, abrogation, detachment or non-attachment, going together with concentration, meditation, etc. We have to correctly understand what detachment means in order to know what communion is; and the whole of yoga is this much. If we commit an initial error, then we would be piling error over error in our subsequent actions or performances. Thus, we have to be vigilant at the very beginning. <br /><br />Detachment is a success that we achieve in freeing our consciousness from involvement in any kind of objectivity - whether it is the form of intense liking or intense dislike, or finally even in the complacency that things really are outside. The initial step or stage in self-control would require us to free ourselves from emotional involvements, either in the form of intense like or intense dislike. But even if we are emotionally free and there is no great passion for things either positively or negatively, we may yet be unfit for the higher requirements in yoga. A mere good man need not necessarily be a fit person for yoga, because while goodness is a great thing indeed, a highly valued thing, it is itself not sufficient because yoga is super-ethical - it goes beyond the morality of mankind. It is not merely goodness, charitableness and a humanitarian feeling, though all these things are wonderful in themselves. So, when there is a freedom achieved to some extent from emotional involvements in the form of love and hatred, we might have attained a great thing indeed - it is a very important success - but yoga is something deeper and more difficult to grasp because, as we make a distinction between abnormal psychology and general psychology or rather, the psychoanalytical process and the study of ordinary psychological functions, we may have to make a distinction between two types of involvement of the mind in objectivity - the one emotional and the other perceptional. <br /><br />Emotional involvements are studied in psychoanalysis, sometimes known as 'abnormal psychology'. By a deep understanding of our own self, we may be a healthy person psychically, and psychoanalytically we are perfectly hale and robust. But from the point of view of yoga, we may still be an abnormal person - because abnormality does not necessarily mean being a psychoanalytic patient. There can be a 'metaphysical error' as philosophers would put it, apart from a mere social, political or emotional mistake that we commit. Here it is that yoga goes beyond mere human ways of thinking, much less social and political ways. It is a cosmic way of envisaging everything, which will inject a sort of shock into us. We may begin to shudder even to think of the possibility of there being such a way of encounter with things, and this is the reason why sometimes we feel tremor in the body when we go deep into meditation - a shock which the pranas receive by the impact of the mind upon them, due to the intensity of our concentration on a supernormal level, which goes beyond ordinary human thinking. <br /><br />So even if we are emotionally free and a good individual indeed, well adored and respected in humanity, we may not be prepared for yoga; because yoga is a preparation to embrace a reality, which is not necessarily a human world. This is also touched upon, pithily, in some of the aphorisms of Patanjali, which is not my subject at present - I am concerned with the Bhagavadgita. So, coming to the point of yajna, sacrifice, self-control, we seem to conclude that every sacrifice which is true to its spirit involves a metaphysical injection that we give to the psychological process of the mind, a spiritual adventure more than any other kind of human activity or a religious routine. We ascend into a supernormal degree of comprehension in our adventure of vairagya and abhyasa - withdrawal and union. From what do we withdraw ourself, and with what do we commune ourself? The withdrawal, as I mentioned, is not from the substance of the persons and things or the five elements, but from the way, the manner in which they are perceived by the senses, the mind and the intellect. Our opinion about things is what is important, rather than the things themselves. Our understanding is what is our concern, and not what we are understanding - the thing as such. The world, physically speaking, is not so much our concern in yoga as the way in which we are understanding it, and the manner in which we react to it.<br /><br />Thus the process of vairagya, or detachment, is more a psychological activity rather than a physical performance. It is something that is happening inside in the mind. So we can detach ourselves from things even in the midst of things. Even in the thick of the bustle of people and the noises of the world, we can be detached, because the bustle and the haste, the movement and the noise are not the things that trouble us; the trouble arises from our reaction to them. The world is what it was, and perhaps it will be what it was - nobody can change it, and perhaps there is no need to change it; but there is necessity to change our understanding of it. It is possible to be free from concern with the external events in the world by a modification or an amendment of our outlook or perspective in life, even in the midst of thick activity. Here is the principle of karma yoga coming again: in the midst of intense activity one can be in a state of deep communion with the Ultimate Reality because of the fact that the mind is in the state of vairagya - completely withdrawn from erroneous associations with the events taking place with persons, with things, with activities. On the other hand, one may be in the top of Mount Everest, yet one may be involved in the world process. The thick of the jungle is not necessarily a safe place for the practice of yoga, because the absence of the presence of things, though it is an important thing indeed, is secondary considering our attitude to them. A deeply involved person may be involved even in the thickest forest - and an inwardly detached person may be detached even in the thick street of a large city. If we are honestly intent upon achieving true success in what is called 'yoga', we should not merely pat ourselves on the back and imagine that we are in a state of yoga or religious activity merely because it appears to be so, and people also say so. People may say anything - the saying of the people is no matter with us; it is another thing altogether that worries us and perhaps is our concern. <br /><br />So, the yoga, the sacrifice - which is control of the senses, restraint of the mind, and the stabilising of the reasoning process, which is the yajna, the various types of yajna mentioned in the fourth chapter: prana, manas, indriya etc. mentioned there - all these suggest a single action on the part of our consciousness, namely an awakening into a higher Self. We may wonder why we should go on using the word 'Self' again and again, as if there is nothing else and no other word will connote what is our intention. The word 'Self' is a very important thing, because it suggests the true nature of things. We are not likely to understand the meaning of it because we are accustomed to identify self with our personality: 'yourself', ' myself', 'himself', 'herself', 'itself'. These grammatical words that we use suggest a wrong meaning of the term 'Self'. Self does not mean a person or a thing, though it is associated with a description of persons and things, yourself and others. The word 'Self' actually means the non-objective status occupied by everything in the world. Here is a sentence on which we have to bestow deep thought. A non-objective status which everyone enjoys and everything enjoys - this is called the Self. The Self is that which cannot be externalised, cannot be objectified, cannot become other than what it is; it cannot know itself as an 'other'. It is not an 'other' - it is just what it is. The real 'you' or the 'I' is what we call the 'Self'. This 'I' cannot become a 'you', a 'he', 'she', 'it' - it is just what it is. Inasmuch as this is the condition of everyone and everything, in a way we may say the whole universe is just the Self - Atmai eva sarva. The whole universe is a Self, only to be understood in its proper significance. If the whole universe is a Self and it cannot be objectified, because a Self is a non-objectified status, it would mean the universe is an intense self-consciousness; actually, what you call God is nothing but this. It is a highly enhanced condition of universal self-consciousness. This Self, which is principally and primarily a universal being, gets conditioned, by degrees, into lower forms of experience, until it descends into our personality-consciousness of the so-called physical 'I', the physical 'you', the physical 'it'. Thus it is self-control - I am coming to the point again - self-control means the restraining of the lower experience of the self by uniting it with the higher experience of its own Self. It is not a communion with somebody else. You are communing with your own self only in a larger, pervasive form than the condition in which you are at present. Your connectedness with things ascends in a series of larger pervasiveness until it reaches the apex of this pervasiveness in God-consciousness or Universal-realisation. <br /><br />So, self-control begins with a little action of restraining the senses, and then becomes wider and wider, by degrees. These are the samapattis or samadhis mentioned in the sutras of Patanjali. These are the seven stages of knowledge. These are the communes attained with the levels of being, the realms of consciousness, the planes, etc. - these are the forms of Self. Gradually we get united with them until we become wider and wider, deeper and deeper, heavier and heavier, more and more comprises us, and nearer and nearer to our own self than we are now. Now we are far away from us. What a pity, we are far from our own selves. In the sense we are not this self we are thinking ourselves to be, as conditioned by this body; there is a larger kingdom in which we are residing, even now, from which we are apparently exiled into this grossness of the prison-house of this body consciousness. These are the fundamentals, and this is the background of all forms of self-control, which is the final meaning of any form of sacrifice - yajna.Mark Dixonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260629258516670212.post-69541144487859032882010-05-01T01:14:00.000-04:002010-05-01T01:15:03.132-04:00Night VisitOne evening, my squadron had returned from a hard day of field training exercises. We returned to our barracks just in time to clean up and "hit the sack". Our barracks consisted of a two story, multi-roomed building, and each room consisted of enough space for only two occupants. My room was vacant -- except for myself -- because I had not yet been assigned a roommate. I finally got done with putting my things in order at about 11:30 that evening. Going over to my desk lamp, I turned it off and went to my bed (which was opposite the door). I was extremely tired and went to sleep without any problems. Sometime after having fallen asleep, I was awakened with a feeling of being in the presence of "something evil". It was a "heavy" feeling (almost like having several wool blankets placed over my body). Having awoken on my back, I found that even the slightest movement of my limbs was impossible, and the best I could do was move my eyes. I was terrified. All that I could think to do was to avert my sight from whatever it was that was gaining entry to my room. I turned my sight to the wall on my left and noticed a dim light (which was reflecting off the wall) slowly appear and then disappear. After the light had gone, I heard the scuffle of what seemed to be a couple of tiny creatures quickly walking around on the floor. Not being able to take the suspense for much longer, I turned my eyes to the foot of my bed. My stomach suddenly tightened. I will never forget what I saw. Standing at the foot of my bed were three distinct figures. Although the room was dark, I could see these figures because they seemed to radiate a "darker radiance" of their own. It almost appeared to be a "radiant black mist" that enveloped each one of them. As I lay there and looked at them, I was able to get a better look at who (or what) was standing at my feet. The three of them were very tall, in fact, I would estimate that they were no less than eight feet in height -- with the tallest one standing in the middle. A dry, bitter cold seemed to radiate from them as they seemed to be whispering something back and forth. I was becoming more and more terrified as I felt that these beings held some form of hostility toward me. The atmosphere in the room was charged with what felt like an "electrostatic tension". Before these "visitors", my room was a warm 80 degrees, but now it seemed almost chillingly cold. The appearance of these three beings seemed to "shimmer" like a heat mirage, and it was at about that point that I fearfully forced my eyes back upon the wall to my left. The next thing that I remember is that the paralysis left my body. The room seemed to be back to the unpleasant 80 degrees and I felt as though I were alone. Slowly getting up from my bed, I cautiously walked over to the light, turned it on and looked around the room. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, I went over to the door and opened it. Walking into the hallway, I went over to the Dorm guard (a person who is chosen to keep watch over the dorm) and asked him if anyone had been through the hallway lately. He looked up from reading his book and -- giving me a questioning look -- said that nobody had been through the dorm since he had begun his watch. He even showed me his log sheets to prove his point. I went back to my room, turned off the light and went back to bed. I didn't know what to think about what had happened, but I sure as heck wasn't going to tell anyone in my squadron what had happened. I was, after all, trying to train in the military -- not trying to get out.Mark Dixonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260629258516670212.post-59139339682075086482010-05-01T00:28:00.001-04:002010-05-01T00:28:49.848-04:00Past the Shadows EdgeEvery time I think of this story it still gives me the chills even after all these years. I remember that night very vividly... <br /><br />This happened to me about sixteen years ago right after I had gotten my drivers license and got to use my dad's car by myself for the first time.<br /><br />My girlfriend and I were excited to go to a dance at our high school that Saturday night - and I was more then a little nervous about driving the stick shift without Mom or Dad in the car with me as I had a habit of killing the engine when I tried to start it. <br /><br />It was early October, but the air was still warm and the moon was yellow and in a sickle form. There were dark storm clouds looming over the Wasatch Mountains and moving closer into the Salt Lake valley.<br /><br />My girlfriend and I went to the dance and had a great time - staying way into the night. When the dance was over and after everyone had been sent away by the dance/school staff we moved on. We drove around looking for some place to go - as the newness of being on our own with the car would not wear off for several more months.<br /><br />I picked the old grade school that we had both gone to when we were children. We were fairly close to where we lived so we felt safe and there was nothing to worry about except the looming rain clouds. We parked in the parking lot behind the school and walked into the huge grass playing field and the play ground behind the school. The field was lit by one huge stadium type lamp that cast a circle of dim light on the playground and playing field surrounding it. <br /><br />She and I sat on the swings talking WAY late into the night. It started raining a cool mist that was very pleasant. But after an hour or so it was enough rain to make the ground under us muddy - so we were careful not to stick our feet in the mud (this is important in a minute). <br /><br />It became quite and we were both very tired by then. We suddenly looked up at the same moment... the hair stood up on the back of my neck... as we both felt the need to look back and over our left shoulders. Something had caught the corner of our eye. About two hundred feet or so away there was SOMETHING crawling on it's stomach out past the shadows edge of the light that the giant stadium bulb gave off. <br /><br />We both stared in horror not saying anything. We watched as the thing MOVED towards us, just keeping on the boarder of the light shadow. It was humanoid looking - a dark color with no clothes on. It was laying flat on it's belly... it's arms down, held close to it's waist. <br /><br />But what frightened me the most (besides the fact that it had been coming up behind us) was the way it moved and the structure of it's legs... It was inching forward moving NOTHING but it's feet to push it forward. And the legs... If you look at a normal humans knees - the knees bend forward... This things was reverse - the joint bent BACK and away. (Imagine laying flat on your stomach with your hands pulled in at your sides to your waist and your knees are UP OFF the ground instead of against it.) <br /><br />We stared for several seconds... we both had stopped breathing and the only sound was the rain falling. The head of the thing looked up and I saw nothing but black pools where the eyes should be...<br />My girlfriend and I JUMPED off the swings onto the wet grass and lunged into the car about 50 feet away. There was several seconds of panic when I couldn't get the car to start - and I was terrified to look up. I didn't want to see "IT" closing on us - I didn't want to see those knees bending in the wrong direction and the black, soulless eyes. I was afraid I would pop the clutch in the car and not be able to start it again. I kept my head down and looking at the steering wheel. The car engine turned and caught - we tore off into the night.<br /><br />I called my folks from my girlfriends house and told them about what had happened. They allowed me to stay there with her and her Mom until the sun came up in a few hours. We waited and passed the time by telling her Mother our story - which scared her (as well as my parents) badly.<br /><br />When the sun came up early that Sunday morning - we drove back to see if "it" was still there. This time bringing weapons. But there was nothing as we searched the field. As we poked around the swings we had been sitting on earlier... there were large bare foot prints that had tracked through the mud ALL AROUND the very swings we were on. We both had - had our shoes ON and as I said before, we were careful NOT to get mud on them. And we HAD NOT walked around and around like these tracks had. We found nothing but those bare tracks.<br /><br />Every once in a while I get brave enough to go back to that field late at night (never alone though). I sit by the school field side in my truck with the high beams on searching the area, but I've never seen "IT" again...Mark Dixonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260629258516670212.post-33928314746156342132010-05-01T00:23:00.001-04:002010-05-01T00:23:30.412-04:00The Little OneI was driving up towards Prescott, Arizona, my girlfriend, Becky, dozing off in the seat next to me. Rolling the window partially down, in the hope that the cool air would keep me alert, I wearily kept driving my Chevy down this narrow highway road, with nothing but a thick forested area on the passenger side of me, and mostly open meadowland, with a few clumps of trees here and there, along the driver's side of the road. I had wanted to leave first thing in the morning on Friday, but Becky was called into work at the last minute, so we ended up leaving at close to eight o'clock that night. Knowing we had to head back before early Monday, I didn't want to wait until the next day to go and end up losing a good chunk of a Saturday to boot.<br /><br />So here I was, it had to be close to at least ten pm by then. Driving by the light of my dim headlights, with a close to full moon overhead (full enough to see the open expanses of the passing meadow areas, anyway) I noticed some smoke or steam coming up from the sides of my car hood. This, in and of itself, was not unusual as the car was close to fifteen years old, dented up a bit, with dimmer than usual lights and hoses that seemed to know the most inopportune time to break. Add to that, a radiator that overheated during the summer months or when in use for long periods of time. This being early October, I hadn't given the radiator much thought - it hadn't bothered to act up since August, and as the saying goes 'out of sight, out of mind'. But something sure was putting off plumes under the hood, so I nudged Becky and explained in short that I had to pull over.<br /><br />As I slowed down a bit, Becky rolled down her window and peered out along the edges of the dark wall of pine trees. "Up there," she exclaimed, pointing forward, "about twenty feet or so there's a dirt shoulder of some kind." Slowing to a crawl, feeling safe at the moment as another car hadn't passed us for a number of miles now, I quickly saw the flat, dirt indent, about the length and width of two cars, just to the right of the road. The dirt area, much like that whole side of the road, was lined by a knotted mass of trees, giving it the look of a half circle cut down the middle by the road. I pulled over, and turned the car off - leaving the keys hanging from the ignition. With the headlights on, I got out of the car and walked to the front of it, popping the hood. I had grabbed a flashlight out of the glove box, and so proceeded to inspect the damage.<br /><br />Sure enough, the radiator had overheated. I bent down a little, to peek between the crack of the hood's bottom edge and the top of the car front, to look at Becky through the front windshield. I was going to call out, to ask her to grab the gallon bottle of water I kept behind the front seat (there since August, at least) so, once it cooled a bit, I could add water to the radiator.<br /><br />Expecting to see her dozing off, or looking toward me, I was surprised to see her staring wide-eyed, mouth agape, out at the direction of the driver's side window. She was as white as a ghost. "What are you doing?" I demanded to know. She kept staring out at the meadow fields, only raising her arm slightly to point in the direction she was looking. "What?" I said, walking back towards the driver's door. As I did, I looked out into the moonlit meadow. I saw a short line of trees in the distant background, a small pine about 20-25 ft out, directly in line with the back end of the car, and, running about ten feet from that point forward, in a line almost parallel with the road, was a short brick wall, about three feet or so high. A sparse forested area began, about forty feet or so from the wall's edges, in either direction of the small meadow. "So?" I said, "Probably part of an old house, or a fence. What's the big deal about the wall?" As I got into the car, and shut the door to wait for the innards to cool, she replied - slowly, quietly - "It isn't the brick wall. It's what I saw looking at us OVER the top of the wall." I turned to her, "What? Quit screwing around." "Stuff you!" she said, "If I..." Then she stopped talking, and her gaze drifted past me, to the wall.<br /><br />I turned to look. I saw a small translucent-white stocky humanoid form, just shy of three feet tall, its tiny round eyes from this distance appearing as black as night, standing in front of the wall. It slowly took a step or two towards us, its short chubby arms at its side. I screamed, and tried to turn on the flashlight. I knew the batteries were low, and sometimes had to jiggle it and turn the cap slightly to get it to work, so in my excitement I twisted the cap, the batteries flew out and I just about dirtied by pants. As the batteries were now rolling under the seat and across the floor of the car, I decided to forget that. I looked up, saw the hood was still up, and froze.<br /><br />"He's going back," Becky then said. I looked out over the moonlit field again, just in time to see this....thing... scamper around the side of the wall, out of view. As Becky quickly rolled up her car window, I said I was going to shut the hood - to hell with the water, if the radiator didn't burn out we'd stop down the road and add water. "Give me the bottle. I'll dump some in the reservoir and shut the hood, you just start the car." Becky replied. As she got out and went to the front, I turned the key. The engine groaned, trying to turn over. I looked from the steering wheel, to Becky pouring some water into the reservoir, to the wall, and back again. As Becky slammed the hood shut, I looked towards the wall - to see the small, white head of the ghostly entity peering over the top of it. <br /><br />"Get in the car!" I yelled, as the entity's tiny hands gripped the top of the wall, and it hoisted itself clean over - landing on its feet, running. Running towards us. Becky jumped in the passenger side, locking her door. She no longer had the bottle, which couldn't have been more than half empty now, but, under the circumstances, I didn't ask and I didn't care. I turned the key, still it wouldn't catch. "Oh, god!" Becky murmured. I didn't want to look. I turned the key again, still just that tired groan. Becky leaned over, reaching past me, hitting my door lock with one hand while rolling the window up with the other (it was one of those older, manual window knob rollup jobs). "Hurry!" she said, frightened, as she sat back up. With one more turn of the key, the car finally started, and as I punched the accelerator, I looked toward the field. That little thing was only a few feet from the edge of the road - the edge on the OTHER side of the road, thankfully, but close enough that I could see its eyes were, indeed, dark, empty holes, its mouth was open now, in a wide leering grin, and I could have sworn it had small pointed teeth but it all happened so fast. Its skin, or surface, seemed to be rolling, as the entire entity ran at my car. <br /><br />As we headed down the road, I turned my rear view mirror in such a way I could see "it" - quite a bit back now, turning away from us, walking alongside the road in the opposite direction. I watched the road ahead. Then, Becky screamed. She had been half turned, looking back at the entity too. Now, she was bent straight over, her head buried in her hands. I turned my rear view mirror to and fro, but only saw the road - "it" was gone.<br /><br />We drove another twenty minutes or so with the car smoking a small portion of the way. The car overheated again as we entered the outskirts of town, only then would Becky let me stop. As we parked and waited at the first gas station we hit, I asked what had happened. "I was watching it, it stopped at the edge of the road." she answered. "I know," I said, "I saw it walking away." "Yeah," she answered "it was walking away. But as it walked away, its head turned all the way around, still grinning, and it watched us drive away." Needless to say, when we headed back we left at 10.00 am, to be sure we'd get back LONG before nightfall.Mark Dixonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260629258516670212.post-83613028920103011792010-05-01T00:07:00.000-04:002010-05-01T00:09:38.491-04:00Ouija Boards and Jungian SynchronicityYou walk into a book store by chance, as your casually strolling down the isles, the book you weren’t looking for , but needed, falls from the shelf practically hitting your feet. You end a bad relationship, and suddenly you meet that special someone, as if it were meant to be. Your thinking about someone you haven’t spoken too in a long time, and suddenly the phone rings, you notice on the caller ID that it’s the person whom you were thinking about!<br /><br />Your conversing with a total stranger on the subway, when you are overwhelmed with a deep sense of deja-vu, you seem to sense that you had been there before, and had the exact same conversation. You awaken precisely nano-seconds before the alarm goes off. This occurs often, but at random times. You and a close friend are talking when there is a pause, and then you both say a word at the exact same time! These are examples of Synchronicity at work.<br /><br />The Laws of Attraction hint that thoughts influence chance. That these thoughts influence matter outside the head, either consciously or sub-consciously, and cannot be explained by logical reasoning. The Law of Attraction says that which is like unto itself is drawn.<br /><br />Skeptics rely on buzz words like Pareidolia, and Apophenia, to debunk most claims of supernatural and paranormal experience. At one time I too rested comfortably on the bending fence of skepticism. It took my own personal experiences to convince me of ghosts, spirits, and the supernatural realm.<br /><br />Carl Jung had a deep and long-standing interest in the occult, and his esoteric beliefs had a wide impact on his work. Jung coined the term “collective unconscious” to refer to that part of a person’s unconscious which is common to all human beings, as opposed to personal unconscious, which is unique to each individual. According to Jung the collective unconscious contains archetypes, which are forms or symbols that are manifested by all people in all cultures.<br /><br />The concept of collective unconscious relates to the Spiritual model of living beings consisting of individuated parts of Spirit encased in physical form. Like island in the sea we appear as distinct individuals, but beneath the surface we are all connected.<br /><br />Jung created the term synchronicity to describe the alignment of “universal forces” with the life experiences of an individual. Jung believed that many experiences perceived as coincidences were not merely due to chance, but instead reflected the creation of an event or circumstance by the “co-inciding” or alignment of such forces.<br /><br />The process of becoming intuitively aware and acting in harmony with these forces is what Jung labeled “individuation.” Jung said that an individuated person would actually shape events around them through the communication of their consciousness with the collective unconscious.<br /><br />Jung spoke of synchronicity as being an “acausal connecting principle” (ie. a pattern of connection that is not explained by causality).<br /><br />The laws of chance dictate that coincidences sometimes occur naturally. However, upon reflection we have probably all had experiences that seem to defy the laws of chance. For instance, what is the statistical probability of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon coinciding so seamlessly into The Wizard of Oz?<br /><br />Jung used Ouija Boards, Oracles, and helped establish that within the framework of the human mind, there exists parallels that defy scientific rationalities.<br /><br />The skeptics scoff at the thought of spirit communication thru Ouija Boards, dismissing it as a result of tapping into our subconscious, causing our arms to move the planchette thru the Ideomotor Effect.<br /><br />Aleister Crowley said that the Demons of The Goetia existed within the human brain. Perhaps the subconscious is aware of demonic forces, and communicates with non-living entities through what Jung described as “archetypes” of the subconscious. One of these Archetypes he referred to as ” The Trickster,” and is capable of marked deception similar to the deceiving nature of the discarnate beings summoned by spirit board phenomena.<br /><br />I have witnessed Ouija Board participants who were able to spell words very quickly and accurately while blindfolded. The questions asked were directed around the subject of King Arthur, whom the middle school children knew nothing about. They were able to answer questions straight out of an encyclopedia with astonishing accuracy.<br /><br />Serial killers/rapists often talk about the “voices in their head” that prompted them to commit heinous crimes. Those “voices” I believe, are telepathic messages from sadistic demons in the Spirit; they are not being generated from an area of the brain. The part of the brain where the voices are being “recorded” is only the final receiving end of the transmission. A soul in a body is likened to a radio. Most know that the music does not originate from the box but is appears to do so to those who are uninformed.<br /><br />It has been demonstrated that thoughts by themselves can create poltergeists, or “Tulpas” that have the ability to disrupt our lives and cause unexplainable phenomena. My research into what I coined The Zozo Spirit Phenomena has taught me an important lesson, to approach all things with an open mind, to help see the forest thru the trees. The skeptics continue to assault me from all angles, and I smile when the phone rings, I check the caller ID, and I see synchronicity playing the mysterious strings within the Violin of life.Mark Dixonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260629258516670212.post-62820910428998659672010-04-26T04:52:00.002-04:002010-04-26T04:57:53.919-04:00Mothman - The Enigma of Point PleasantThe weird events connected to the Mothman began on November 12, 1966 near Clendenin, West Virginia. Five men were in the local cemetery that day, preparing a grave for a burial, when something that looked like a “brown human being” lifted off from some nearby trees and flew over their heads. The men were baffled. It did not appear to be a bird, but more like a man with wings. A few days later, more sightings would take place, electrifying the entire region.<br /><br />Late in the evening of November 15, two young married couples had a very strange encounter as they drove past an abandoned TNT plant near Point Pleasant, West Virginia. The couples spotted two large eyes that were attached to something that was "shaped like a man, but bigger, maybe six or seven feet tall. And it had big wings folded against its back". When the creature moved toward the plant door, the couples panicked and sped away. Moments later, they saw the same creature on a hillside near the road. It spread its wings and rose into the air, following with their car, which by now was traveling at over 100 miles per hour. "That bird kept right up with us," said one of the group. They told Deputy Sheriff Millard Halstead that it followed them down Highway 62 and right to the Point Pleasant city limits. And they would not be the only ones to report the creature that night. Another group of four witnesses claimed to see the “bird” three different times!<br /><br />Another sighting had more bizarre results. At about 10:30 on that same evening, Newell Partridge, a local building contractor who lived in Salem (about 90 miles from Point Pleasant), was watching television when the screen suddenly went dark. He stated that a weird pattern filled the screen and then he heard a loud, whining sounds from outside that raised in pitch and then ceased. “It sounded like a generator winding up” he later stated. Partridge’s dog, Bandit, began to howl out on the front porch and Newell went out to see what was going on.<br /><br />When he walked outside, he saw Bandit facing the hay barn, about 150 yards from the house. Puzzled, Partridge turned a flashlight in that direction and spotted two red circles that looked like eyes or “bicycle reflectors”. They moving red orbs were certainly not animal’s eyes, he believed, and the sight of them frightened him. Bandit, an experienced hunting dog and protective of his territory, shot off across the yard in pursuit of the glowing eyes. Partridge called for him to stop, but the animal paid no attention. His owner turned and went back into the house for his gun, but then was too scared to go back outside again. He slept that night with his gun propped up next to the bed. The next morning, he realized that Bandit had disappeared. The dog had still not shown up two days later when Partridge read in the newspaper about the sightings in Point Pleasant that night.<br /><br />One statement that he read in the newspaper chilled him to the bone. Roger Scarberry, one member of the group who spotted the strange “bird” at the TNT plant, said that as they entered the city limits of Point Pleasant, they saw the body of a large dog lying on the side of the road. A few minutes later, on the way back out of town, the dog was gone. They even stopped to look for the body, knowing they had passed it just a few minutes before. Newell Partridge immediately thought of Bandit, who was never seen again.<br /><br />On November 16, a press conference was held in the county courthouse and the couples from the TNT plant sighting repeated their story. Deputy Halstead, who had known the couples all of their lives, took them very seriously. “They’ve never been in any trouble,” he told investigators and had no reason to doubt their stories. Many of the reporters who were present for the weird recounting felt the same way. The news of the strange sightings spread around the world. The press dubbed the odd flying creature “Mothman”, after a character from the popular Batman television series of the day.<br /><br />The remote and abandoned TNT plant became the lair of the Mothman in the months ahead and it could not have picked a better place to hide in. The area was made up of several hundred acres of woods and large concrete domes where high explosives were stored during World War II. A network of tunnels honeycombed the area and made it possible for the creature to move about without being seen. In addition to the manmade labyrinth, the area was also comprised of the McClintic Wildlife Station, a heavily forested animal preserve filled with woods, artificial ponds and steep ridges and hills. Much of the property was almost inaccessible and without a doubt, Mothman could have hid for weeks or months and remained totally unseen. The only people who ever wandered there were hunters and fishermen and the local teenagers, who used the rutted dirt roads of the preserve as “lover’s lanes”.<br /><br />Very few homes could be found in the region, but one dwelling belonged to the Ralph Thomas family. One November 16, they spotted a “funny red light” in the sky that moved and hovered above the TNT plant. “It wasn’t an airplane”, Mrs. Marcella Bennett (a friend of the Thomas family) said, “but we couldn’t figure out what it was.” Mrs. Bennett drove to the Thomas house a few minutes later and got out of the car with her baby. Suddenly, a figure stirred near the automobile. “It seemed as though it had been lying down,” she later recalled. “It rose up slowly from the ground. A big gray thing. Bigger than a man with terrible glowing eyes.”<br /><br />Mrs. Bennett was so horrified that she dropped her little girl! She quickly recovered, picked up her child and ran to the house. The family locked everyone inside but hysteria gripped them as the creature shuffled onto the porch and peered into the windows. The police were summoned, but the Mothman had vanished by the time the authorities had arrived.<br /><br />Mrs. Bennett would not recover from the incident for months and was in fact so distraught that she sought medical attention to deal with her anxieties. She was tormented by frightening dreams and later told investigators that she believed the creature had visited her own home too. She said that she could often hear a keening sounds (like a woman screaming) near her isolated home on the edge of Point Pleasant.<br /><br />Many would come to believe that the sightings of Mothman, as well as UFO sightings and encounters with “men in black” in the area, were all related. For nearly a year, strange happenings continued in the area. Researchers, investigators and “monster hunters” descended on the area but none so famous as author John Keel, who has written extensively about Mothman and other unexplained anomalies. He has written for many years about UFO’s but dismisses the standard “extraterrestrial” theories of the mainstream UFO movement. For this reason, he has been a controversial figure for decades. According to Keel, man has had a long history of interaction with the supernatural. He believes that the intervention of mysterious strangers in the lives of historic personages like Thomas Jefferson and Malcolm X provides evidence of the continuing presence of the “gods of old”. The manifestation of these elder gods comes in the form of UFO’s and aliens, monsters, demons, angels and even ghosts. He has remained a colorful character to many and yet remains respected in the field for his research and fascinating writings.<br /><br />Keel became the major chronicler of the Mothman case and wrote that at least 100 people personally witnessed the creature between November 1966 and November 1967. According to their reports, the creature stood between five and seven feet tall, was wider than a man and shuffled on human-like legs. Its eyes were set near the top of the shoulders and had bat-like wings that glided, rather than flapped, when it flew. Strangely though, it was able to ascend straight up “like a helicopter”. Witnesses also described its murky skin as being either gray or brown and it emitted a humming sound when it flew. The Mothman was apparently incapable of speech and gave off a screeching sound. Mrs. Bennett stated that it sounded like a “woman screaming”.<br /><br />John Keel arrived in Point Pleasant in December 1966 and immediately began collecting reports of Mothman sightings and even UFO reports from before the creature was seen. He also compiled evidence that suggested a problem with televisions and phones that began in the fall of 1966. Lights had been seen in the skies, particularly around the TNT plant, and cars that passed along the nearby road sometimes stalled without explanation. He and his fellow researchers also uncovered a number of short-lived poltergeist cases in the Ohio Valley area. Locked doors opened and closed by themselves, strange thumps were heard inside and outside of homes and often, inexplicable voices were heard. The James Lilley family, who lived just south of the TNT plant, were so bothered by the bizarre events that they finally sold their home and moved to another neighborhood. Keel was convinced that the intense period of activity was all connected.<br />And stranger things still took place..... A reporter named Mary Hyre, who was the Point Pleasant correspondent for the Athens, Ohio newspaper the Messenger, also wrote extensively about the local sightings. In fact, after one very active weekend, she was deluged with over 500 phone calls from people who saw strange lights in the skies. One night in January 1967, she was working late in her office in the county courthouse and a man walked in the door. He was very short and had strange eyes that were covered with thick glasses. He also had long, black hair that was cut squarely “like a bowl haircut”. Hyre said that he spoke in a low, halting voice and he asked for directions to Welsh, West Virginia. She thought that he had some sort of speech impediment and for some reason, he terrified her. “He kept getting closer and closer to me, “ she said, “ and his funny eyes were staring at me almost hypnotically.”<br /><br />Alarmed, she summoned the newspaper’s circulation manager to her office and together, they spoke to the strange little man. She said that at one point in the discussion, she answered the telephone when it rang and she noticed the little man pick up a pen from her desk. He looked at it in amazement, “as if he had never seen a pen before.” Then, he grabbed the pen, laughed loudly and ran out of the building.<br /><br />Several weeks later, Hyre was crossing the street near her office and saw the same man on the street. He appeared to be startled when he realized that she was watching him, turned away quickly and ran for a large black car that suddenly came around the corner. The little man climbed in and it quickly drove away.<br /><br />By this time, most of the sightings had come to an end and Mothman had faded away into the strange “twilight zone” from which he had come... but the story of Point Pleasant had not yet ended. At around 5:00 in the evening on December 15, 1967, the 700-foot bridge linking Point Pleasant to Ohio suddenly collapsed while filled with rush hour traffic. Dozens of vehicles plunged into the dark waters of the Ohio River and 46 people were killed. Two of those were never found and the other 44 are buried together in the town cemetery of Gallipolis, Ohio.<br /><br /><br />On that same tragic night, the James Lilley family (who still lived near the TNT plant at that time) counted more than 12 eerie lights that flashed above their home and vanished into the forest.<br /><br />The collapse of the Silver Bridge made headlines all over the country and Mary Hyre went days without sleep as reporters and television crews from everywhere descended on the town. The local citizens were stunned with horror and disbelief and the tragedy is still being felt today.<br />During Christmas week, a short, dark-skinned man entered the office of Mary Hyre. He was dressed in a black suit, with a black tie, and she said that he looked vaguely Oriental. He had high cheekbones, narrow eyes and an unidentified accent. He was not interested in the bridge disaster, she said, but wanted to know about local UFO sightings. Hyre was too busy to talk with him and she handed her a file of related press clipping instead. He was not interested in them and insisted on speaking with her. She finally dismissed him from her office.<br /><br />That same night, an identically described man visited the homes of several witnesses in the area who had reported seeing the lights in the sky. He made all of them very uneasy and uncomfortable and while he claimed to be a reporter from Cambridge, Ohio, he inadvertently admitted that he did not know where Columbus, Ohio was even though the two towns are just a few miles apart.<br /><br />So who was Mothman and what was behind the strange events in Point Pleasant?<br />Whatever the creature may have been, it seems clear that Mothman was no hoax. There were simply too many credible witnesses who saw “something”. It was suggested at the time that the creature may have been a sandhill crane, which while they are not native to the area, could have migrated south from Canada. That was one explanation anyway, although it was one that was rejected by Mothman witnesses, who stated that what they saw looked nothing like a crane.But there could have been a logical explanation for some of the sightings. Even John Keel (who believed the creature was genuine) suspected that a few of the cases involved people who were spooked by recent reports and saw owls flying along deserted roads at night. Even so, Mothman remains hard to easily dismiss. The case is filled with an impressive number of multiple-witness sightings by individuals that were deemed reliable, even by law enforcement officials.<br />But if Mothman was real... and he truly was some unidentified creature that cannot be explained, what was behind the UFO sightings, the poltergeist reports, the strange lights, sounds, the “men in black” and most horrifying, the collapse of the Silver Bridge?<br /><br />John Keel believes that Point Pleasant was a “window” area, a place that was marked by long periods of strange sightings, monster reports and the coming and going of unusual persons. He states that it may be wrong to blame the collapse of the bridge on the local UFO sightings, but the intense activity in the area at the time does suggest some sort of connection. Others have pointed to another supernatural link to the strange happenings, blaming the events on the legendary Cornstalk Curse that was placed on Point Pleasant in the 1770's.<br /><br />And if such things can happen in West Virginia, then why not elsewhere in the country? Can these “window” areas explain other phantom attackers, mysterious creatures, mad gassers and more that have been reported all over America? Perhaps they can, but to consider this, we have to consider an even more chilling question... where will the next “window” area be? It might be of benefit to study your local sightings and weird events a little more carefully in the future!Mark Dixonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260629258516670212.post-36755431545048971152010-04-26T00:56:00.002-04:002010-04-26T01:04:28.887-04:00Coral Castle - A Geomantic WonderOften equated with the engineering feats of Stonehenge and the Great Pyramid of Egypt, Coral Castle was built by reclusive eccentric Edward Leedskalnin, who single-handledly erected gigantic quarried stones resulting in his enigmatic castle. Originally located in the tiny town of Florida City in the l920's, the site was later moved to it's current location just south of Miami, Florida. Ed is said to have built the Castle for his <span style="color:#000000;">"sweet 16"</span> - supposedly, a woman from his native Latvia who had promised to marry him and then changed her mind at the last minute. The fact it, it was a sheilded allusion to his discovery - the ability to redirect the forces of gravity using hyperdimensional physics: tesseract, hypercubus.<br /><br />A feast of coral imagery, the site lies behind massive 8' high coral rock walls on a ten-acre tract, protecting it from the sprawling suburban city of Homestead. The coral walls fit together with amazing accuracy even though they were constructed without cement. These technical accomplishments have astounded engineers and scientists.<br />A small statured man barely weighing one hundred pounds, Ed quarried one piece of coral from the earth weighing over twenty-eight tons and then erected it himself! His accomplishments include a rocking chair weighing thousands of pounds that can be rocked with a finger, and an underground structure reached by climbing down a one-piece spiral stone staircase to a subterranean refrigerator. A five thousand pound heart-shaped coral rock table with a red blooming ixora growing from its center, is believed to be the world's largest valentine according to Ripley's.<br /><br />Ed liked to read and would sit in a group of stone chairs which caught the morning, afternoon, and evening light as the sun traveled over the horizon. There's a table fashioned from solid rock in the image of the State of Florida complete with a water basin at the position of Lake Okeechobee. Ed reckoned the governor could sit here and figure out how to raise taxes.<br /><br />Much of the site is calibrated to celestial alignments including an ingenious thirty ton telescope towering twenty-five feet above the complex, perfectly aligned to the North Star. A working sundial calibrated to noon of the Winter and Summer Solstice, is so accurate it tells time within two minutes.<br /><br />An area known as the "moon pond" comprised of three 18-ton pieces of coral represents the first quarter, last quarter, and the full moon. Nearby stand Mars, which Ed believed sustained life, and a ringed Saturn each the size of an automobile. An obelisk taller then the great monolith at Stonehenge stretches forty feet toward the sky weighing fifty-seven thousand pounds! A series of concentric coral circles is said to represent the solar system.<br /><br />The original site remained in Florida City until the mid l930's at which time, the story goes, someone planned to build a sub-division nearby. A fanatic for privacy, Ed packed up his entire quarry and moved it to the present location in Homestead. No one ever saw him load or unload the massive tonnage from a friend's truck he'd enlisted to transport the gigantic stones. The relocation progressed easily, and the entire complex was re-erected at its new location.<br />In total Ed quarried over eleven hundred tons of coral rock for his Castle using tools fashioned from wrecking-yard junk, never revealing just how he managed to rise and position the massive coral blocks that make up his compound. An air of mystery surrounded the two story monolith known as the tower, which housed his workshop and living quarters. He was secretive and almost always worked at night; no one ever saw him.<br /><br />Ed seemed to have a sixth sense with which he could detect when he was being watched, often the hallmark of an intuitive. Ed stated, "if I concentrate on somebody's back while that person doesn't know it, they're liable to get restless and look around. I've noticed, I can chase the mosquitos away with this same, concentrated, look."<br /><br />Ed disputed contempory science and believed, "all matter consists of magnets which can produce measurable phenomena, and electricity." Ed would say he had "re-discovered the laws of weight, measurement, and leverage," and that these concepts "involved the relationship of the Earth to celestial alignments." He claimed to see beads of light which he believed to be the physical presence of nature's magnetism, and life force, or what we term today chi.<br /><br />An air of secrecy pervaded the Castle. At one time Ed erected a massive grid of copper wire poised above his quarried stones. Another time one of Ed's neighbors found him singing to the stones with his hands placed on their surface as if he were somehow making them lighter. A group of young people claimed that they saw him float coral blocks through the air "like hydrogen balloons."<br />Ed's notebooks are laden with schematics for magnetism and electrical experiments. Although he possessed only a fourth-grade education it seems he had discovered a means to reduce the gravitational pull of the earth. He wrote a series of pamphlets which included his theories on magnetism and cosmic force, still available today, including "Magnetic Current".<br /><br />Researchers have speculated that Ed learned the secret of levitation and one theory in particular caught the imagination of many. The planetary grid hypothesis postulates that the earth is covered by an invisible web of energy which is concentrated at points of telluric power, the convergence of which create unusal phenomena.<br /><br />These telluric grid dynamics played a vital role in the construction of the Castle according to author Ray Stoner in his book, "The Enigma of Coral Castle." Stoner speculates that the complex was originally moved from Florida City to Homestead not because of privacy issues (as most historians suggest), but because Ed realized he had made a mathematical error in his original positioning, and moved the entire structure to take advantage of an area with greater telluric force.<br />According to author B.J.Cathie an authority on grid dynamics, "there exists an all-encompassing global grid with direct harmonic relationship to the speed of light, gravity, magnetics, and earth mass. All major changes of the physical state are brought about by harmonic interactions of these manifestations. The controlled manipulation of these forces would make it possible to instantaneously move mass from one point to another in space/time."<br />Cathie states, "measurements from Coral Castle yield harmonics related to Light and Gravity. The distance between Coral Castle and Grid Pole A (in the north) dispel any doubt about the site being an ideal position to allow Ed Leedskalnin to erect the huge blocks of coral with relative ease. Measurements indicate the harmonics necessary for the manipulation of anti-gravity."<br /><br />Researcher and author, Richard LeFors Clark, concurs, and believes the earth grid is made up of a network of "20 magnetic reversal points" along which can be found specific sites of anomaly known as Diamagnetic Vortex Points.<br />In his work "Diamagnetic Gravity Vortexes," found in the book Anti-Gravity and the World Grid edited by David Hatcher Childress, Clark postulates that the area of South Florida at Coral Castle, considered part of the Bermuda Triangle, "is a powerful diamagnetic levitator." "Leedskalnin demonstrated magnetism and the mechanism of levitation by applying the natural Earth Grid principles of diamagnetism. Leedskalnin could levitate huge pieces of coral by using the center of mass for the needed slight uplift launching pressure." Equating this technique to the same process used in "party levitation," Clark believes that Coral Castle could no longer be build where it is today as the Grid point has shifted to the area inside Homestead Air Force Base, a few miles away.<br />Ed Leedskalnin showed every indication of being a natural geomancer, one who senses the unique telluric forces of the earth. He was highly intuitive and knew how to observe nature for signs of anomaly, ultimately leading him to the discovery of vortex energy, and the ability to harness the natural elements of magnetism. He understood the critical nature of identifying the most energetic location to erect his massive Castle, and seemed to have known the secrets of anti-gravit,y and its relation to cosmic events. Ed proceeded to develop a means of leverage power, generated from the geo-magnetic grid, and produced a system to generate anti-gravity waves. Ed Leedskalnin knew exactly what he was doing when he created his fantastic Castle.<br /><br />In 1951 Ed took his secrets to the grave. The mystery of Coral Castle was never revealed. A plaque was found in Ed's bedroom that read, "The Secret to the Universe is 7129 / 6105195."Mark Dixonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260629258516670212.post-12760427919750659442010-04-26T00:18:00.000-04:002010-04-26T00:19:25.615-04:00The Core of the Teachings"The core of Krishnamurti's teaching is contained in the statement he made in 1929 when he said: 'Truth is a pathless land'. Man cannot come to it through any organization, through any creed, through any dogma, priest or ritual, not through any philosophic knowledge or psychological technique. He has to find it through the mirror of relationship, through the understanding of the contents of his own mind, through observation and not through intellectual analysis or introspective dissection. Man has built in himself images as a fence of security - religious, political, personal. These manifest as symbols, ideas, beliefs. The burden of these images dominates man's thinking, his relationships and his daily life. These images are the causes of our problems for they divide man from man. His perception of life is shaped by the concepts already established in his mind. The content of his consciousness is his entire existence. This content is common to all humanity. The individuality is the name, the form and superficial culture he acquires from tradition and environment. The uniqueness of man does not lie in the superficial but in complete freedom from the content of his consciousness, which is common to all mankind. So he is not an individual.<br />Freedom is not a reaction; freedom is not a choice. It is man's pretence that because he has choice he is free. Freedom is pure observation without direction, without fear of punishment and reward. Freedom is without motive; freedom is not at the end of the evolution of man but lies in the first step of his existence. In observation one begins to discover the lack of freedom. Freedom is found in the choiceless awareness of our daily existence and activity. Thought is time. Thought is born of experience and knowledge which are inseparable from time and the past. Time is the psychological enemy of man. Our action is based on knowledge and therefore time, so man is always a slave to the past. Thought is ever-limited and so we live in constant conflict and struggle. There is no psychological evolution.<br />When man becomes aware of the movement of his own thoughts he will see the division between the thinker and thought, the observer and the observed, the experiencer and the experience. He will discover that this division is an illusion. Then only is there pure observation which is insight without any shadow of the past or of time. This timeless insight brings about a deep radical mutation in the mind.<br />Total negation is the essence of the positive. When there is negation of all those things that thought has brought about psychologically, only then is there love, which is compassion and intelligence." (<a href="http://www.katinkahesselink.net/kr/">Jiddu Krishnamurti</a>)Mark Dixonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260629258516670212.post-48132355692198650252010-04-26T00:12:00.001-04:002010-04-26T00:14:11.791-04:00Bible Teaching and Religious PracticeReligion had its share in the changes of civilization and national character, of course. What share? The lion's. In the history of the human race this has always been the case, will always be the case, to the end of time, no doubt; or at least until man by the slow processes of evolution shall develop into something really fine and high -- some billions of years hence, say.<br />The Christian Bible is a drug store. Its contents remain the same; but the medical practice changes. For eighteen hundred years these changes were slight -- scarcely noticeable. The practice was allopathic -- allopathic in its rudest and crudest form. The dull and ignorant physician day and night, and all the days and all the nights, drenched his patient with vast and hideous doses of the most repulsive drugs to be found in the store's stock; he bled him, cupped him, purged him, puked him, salivated him, never gave his system a chance to rally, nor nature a chance to help. He kept him religion sick for eighteen centuries, and allowed him not a well day during all that time. The stock in the store was made up of about equal portions of baleful and debilitating poisons, and healing and comforting medicines; but the practice of the time confined the physician to the use of the former; by consequence, he could only damage his patient, and that is what he did.<br />Not until far within our century was any considerable change in the practice introduced; and then mainly, or in effect only, in Great Britain and the United States. In the other countries to-day, the patient either still takes the ancient treatment or does not call the physician at all. In the English-speaking countries the changes observable in our century were forced by that very thing just referred to -- the revolt of the patient against the system; they were not projected by the physician. The patient fell to doctoring himself, and the physician's practice began to fall off. He modified his method to get back his trade. He did it gradually, reluctantly; and never yielded more at a time than the pressure compelled. At first he relinquished the daily dose of hell and damnation, and administered it every other day only; next he allowed another day to pass; then another and presently another; when he had restricted it at last to Sundays, and imagined that now there would surely be a truce, the homeopath arrived on the field and made him abandon hell and damnation altogether, and administered Christ's love, and comfort, and charity and compassion in its stead. These had been in the drug store all the time, gold labeled and conspicuous among the long shelfloads of repulsive purges and vomits and poisons, and so the practice was to blame that they had remained unused, not the pharmacy. To the ecclesiastical physician of fifty years ago, his predecessor for eighteen centuries was a quack; to the ecclesiastical physician of to-day, his predecessor of fifty years ago was a quack. To the every-man-his-own-ecclesiastical-doctor of -- when? -- what will the ecclesiastical physician of to-day be? Unless evolution, which has been a truth ever since the globes, suns, and planets of the solar system were but wandering films of meteor dust, shall reach a limit and become a lie, there is but one fate in store for him.<br />The methods of the priest and the parson have been very curious, their history is very entertaining. In all the ages the Roman Church has owned slaves, bought and sold slaves, authorized and encouraged her children to trade in them. Long after some Christian peoples had freed their slaves the Church still held on to hers. If any could know, to absolute certainty, that all this was right, and according to God's will and desire, surely it was she, since she was God's specially appointed representative in the earth and sole authorized and infallible expounder of his Bible. There were the texts; there was no mistaking their meaning; she was right, she was doing in this thing what the Bible had mapped out for her to do. So unassailable was her position that in all the centuries she had no word to say against human slavery. Yet now at last, in our immediate day, we hear a Pope saying slave trading is wrong, and we see him sending an expedition to Africa to stop it. The texts remain: it is the practice that has changed. Why? Because the world has corrected the Bible. The Church never corrects it; and also never fails to drop in at the tail of the procession -- and take the credit of the correction. As she will presently do in this instance.<br />Christian England supported slavery and encouraged it for two hundred and fifty years, and her church's consecrated ministers looked on, sometimes taking an active hand, the rest of the time indifferent. England's interest in the business may be called a Christian interest, a Christian industry. She had her full share in its revival after a long period of inactivity, and his revival was a Christian monopoly; that is to say, it was in the hands of Christian countries exclusively. English parliaments aided the slave traffic and protected it; two English kings held stock in slave-catching companies. The first regular English slave hunter -- John Hawkins, of still revered memory -- made such successful havoc, on his second voyage, in the matter of surprising and burning villages, and maiming, slaughtering, capturing, and selling their unoffending inhabitants, that his delighted queen conferred the chivalric honor of knighthood on him -- a rank which had acquired its chief esteem and distinction in other and earlier fields of Christian effort. The new knight, with characteristic English frankness and brusque simplicity, chose as his device the figure of a negro slave, kneeling and in chains. Sir John's work was the invention of Christians, was to remain a bloody and awful monopoly in the hands of Christians for a quarter of a millennium, was to destroy homes, separate families, enslave friendless men and women, and break a myriad of human hearts, to the end that Christian nations might be prosperous and comfortable, Christian churches be built, and the gospel of the meek and merciful Redeemer be spread abroad in the earth; and so in the name of his ship, unsuspected but eloquent and clear, lay hidden prophecy. She was called The Jesus.<br />But at last in England, an illegitimate Christian rose against slavery. It is curious that when a Christian rises against a rooted wrong at all, he is usually an illegitimate Christian, member of some despised and bastard sect. There was a bitter struggle, but in the end the slave trade had to go -- and went. The Biblical authorization remained, but the practice changed.<br />Then -- the usual thing happened; the visiting English critic among us began straightway to hold up his pious hands in horror at our slavery. His distress was unappeasable, his words full of bitterness and contempt. It is true we had not so many as fifteen hundred thousand slaves for him to worry about, while his England still owned twelve millions, in her foreign possessions; but that fact did not modify his wail any, or stay his tears, or soften his censure. The fact that every time we had tried to get rid of our slavery in previous generations, but had always been obstructed, balked, and defeated by England, was a matter of no consequence to him; it was ancient history, and not worth the telling.<br />Our own conversion came at last. We began to stir against slavery. Hearts grew soft, here, there, and yonder. There was no place in the land where the seeker could not find some small budding sign of pity for the slave. No place in all the land but one -- the pulpit. It yielded at last; it always does. It fought a strong and stubborn fight, and then did what it always does, joined the procession -- at the tail end. Slavery fell. The slavery text remained; the practice changed, that was all.<br />During many ages there were witches. The Bible said so. The Bible commanded that they should not be allowed to live. Therefore the Church, after doing its duty in but a lazy and indolent way for eight hundred years, gathered up its halters, thumbscrews, and firebrands, and set about its holy work in earnest. She worked hard at it night and day during nine centuries and imprisoned, tortured, hanged, and burned whole hordes and armies of witches, and washed the Christian world clean with their foul blood.<br />Then it was discovered that there was no such thing as witches, and never had been. One does not know whether to laugh or to cry. Who discovered that there was no such thing as a witch -- the priest, the parson? No, these never discover anything. At Salem, the parson clung pathetically to his witch text after the laity had abandoned it in remorse and tears for the crimes and cruelties it has persuaded them to do. The parson wanted more blood, more shame, more brutalities; it was the unconsecrated laity that stayed his hand. In Scotland the parson killed the witch after the magistrate had pronounced her innocent; and when the merciful legislature proposed to sweep the hideous laws against witches from the statute book, it was the parson who came imploring, with tears and imprecations, that they be suffered to stand.<br />There are no witches. The witch text remains; only the practice has changed. Hell fire is gone, but the text remains. Infant damnation is gone, but the text remains. More than two hundred death penalties are gone from the law books, but the texts that authorized them remain.<br />It is not well worthy of note that of all the multitude of texts through which man has driven his annihilating pen he has never once made the mistake of obliterating a good and useful one? It does certainly seem to suggest that if man continues in the direction of enlightenment, his religious practice may, in the end, attain some semblance of human decency. (Mark Twain)Mark Dixonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260629258516670212.post-26414612456267798452010-04-25T05:47:00.004-04:002010-04-25T06:13:51.728-04:00Drones: Military Reverses Alien Technology<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9hEg1oZ5c1E/S9QVzolQaRI/AAAAAAAAAAg/cH8wYIK3t2A/s1600/DroneCentralCalifRear.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 202px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9hEg1oZ5c1E/S9QVzolQaRI/AAAAAAAAAAg/cH8wYIK3t2A/s320/DroneCentralCalifRear.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464016224718448914" /></a><br /><br />One question I can answer for sure is why they're suddenly here. These crafts have probably existed in their current form for decades, and I can say for sure that the technology behind them has existed for decades before that. The “language”, in fact, (I'll explain shortly why I keep putting that in quotes) was the subject of my work in years past. I'll cover that as well.<br /><br />The reason they're suddenly visible, however, is another matter entirely. These crafts, assuming they're anything like the hardware I worked with in the 80's (assuming they're better, in fact), are equipped with technology that enables invisibility. That ability can be controlled both on board the craft, and remotely. However, what's important in this case is that this invisibility can also be disrupted by other technology. Think of it like radar jamming. I would bet my life savings (since I know this has happened before) that these craft are becoming visible and then returning to invisibility arbitrarily, probably unintentionally, and undoubtedly for only short periods, due to the activity of a kind of disrupting technology being set off elsewhere, but nearby. I'm especially sure of this in the case of the Big Basin sightings, were the witnesses themselves reported seeing the craft just appear and disappear. This is especially likely because of the way the witness described one of the appearances being only a momentary flicker, which is consistent with the unintentional, intermittent triggering of such a device.<br /><br />It's no surprise that these sightings are all taking place in California, and especially the Saratoga/South Bay area. Not far from Saratoga is Mountain View/Sunnyvale, home to Moffett Field and the NASA Ames Research center. Again, I'd be willing to bet just about anything that the device capable of hijacking the cloaking of these nearby craft was inadvertently triggered, probably during some kind of experiment, at the exact moment they were being seen. Miles away, in Big Basin, the witnesses were in the right place at the right time and saw the results of this disruption with their own eyes. God knows what else was suddenly appearing in the skies at that moment, and who else may have seen it. I've had some direct contact with this device, or at least a device capable of the same thing, and this kind of mistake is not unprecedented. I am personally aware of at least one other incident in which this kind of technology was accidentally set off, resulting in the sudden visibility of normally invisible things. The only difference is that these days, cameras are a lot more common!<br /><br />The technology itself isn't ours, or at least it wasn't in the 80's. Much like the technology in these crafts themselves, the device capable of remotely hijacking a vehicle's clacking comes from a non-human source too. Why we were given this technology has never been clear to me, but it's responsible for a lot. Our having access to this kind of device, along with our occasionally haphazard experimentation on them, has lead to everything from cloaking malfunctions like this to full-blown crashes. I can assure you that most (and in my opinion all) incidents of UFO crashes or that kind of thing had more to do with our meddling with extremely powerful technology at an inopportune time than it did mechanical failure on their part. Trust me, those things don't fail unless something even more powerful than them makes them fail (intentionally or not). Think of it like a stray bullet. You can be hit by one at any time, without warning, and even the shooter didn't intent to hit you. I can assure you heads are rolling over this as well. If anyone notices a brilliant but sloppy physicist patrolling the streets of Baghdad in the next couple weeks, I'd be willing to guess how he got there. (I kid, of course, as I certainly hope that hasn't actually happened in this case)<br /><br />I'd now like to explain how it is that I know this.<br /><br />The CARET Program<br /><br />My story begins the same as it did for many of my co workers, with graduate and post-graduate work at university in electrical engineering. And I had always been interested in computer science, which was a very new field at the time, and my interest piqued with my first exposure to a Tixo during grad school. In the years following school I took a scenic route through the tech industry and worked for the kinds of companies you would expect, until I was offered a job at the Department of Defense and things took a very different turn.<br /><br />My time at the DoD was mostly uneventful but I was there for quite a while. I apparently proved myself to be reasonably intelligent and loyal. By 1984 these qualities along with my technical background made me a likely candidate for a new program they were recruiting for called “CARET”.<br /><br />Before I explain what CARET was I should back up a little. By 1984, Silicon Valley had been a juggernaut of technology for decades. In the less than 40 years since the appearance of Shockley’s transistor this part of the world had already produced a multi billion dollar computer industry and made technological strides that were unprecedented in other fields, from hypertext and online collaboration in '68 to the Alto in '73.<br /><br />Private industry in Silicon Valley was responsible for some of the most incredible technological leaps in history and this fact did not go unnoticed by the US government and military. I don’t claim to have any special knowledge about Roswell or any of the other alleged early UFO events, but I do know that whatever the exact origin, the military was hard at work trying to understand and use the extra-terrestrial artifacts it had in its possession. While there had been a great deal of progress overall, things were not moving as quickly as some would have liked. So, in 1984, the CARET program was created with the aim of harnessing the abilities of private industry in silicon valley and applying it to the ongoing task of understanding extra-terrestrial technology.<br /><br />One of the best examples of the power of the tech sector was Xerox PARC, a research center in Palo Alto, CA. XPARC was responsible for some of the major milestones in the history of computing. While I never had the privilege of working there myself I did know many of the people who did and I can say that they were among the brightest engineers I ever knew.<br /><br />XPARC served as one of the models for the CARET program’s first incarnation, a facility called the Palo Alto CARET Laboratory (PACL, lovingly pronounced “packle” during my time there). This was where I worked, along with numerous other civilians, under the auspices of military brass who were eager to find out how the tech sector made so much progress so quickly. My time at the DoD was a major factor behind why I was chosen, and in fact about 30+ others who were hired around the same time had also been at the Department about as long, but this was not the case for everyone. A couple of my co-workers were plucked right from places like IBM and, at least two of them came from XPARC itself. My DoD experience did make me more eligible for positions of management, however, which is how I have so much of this material in my possession to begin with.<br /><br />So in other words, civilians like myself who had at--at most--some decent experience working for the DoD but no actual military training or involvement, were suddenly finding ourselves in the same room as highly classified extra-terrestrial technology. Of course they spent about 2 months briefing us all before we saw or did anything, and did their best to convince us that if we ever leaked a single detail about what we were being told, they’d do everything short of digging up our ancestors and putting a few slugs in them too just for good measure. It seemed like there was an armed guard in every corner of every room. I’d worked under some pretty hefty NDAs in my time but this was so far out of my depth I didn’t think I was going to last 2 weeks in an environment like that. But amazingly things got off to a good start. They wanted us, plain and simple, and our industry had shown itself to be so good at what it did that they were just about ready to give us carte blanche.<br /><br />Of course, nothing with the military is ever that simple, and as is often the case they wanted to have their cake and eat it too. What I mean by this is that despite their interest in picking our brains and learning whatever they could from our way of doing things, they still wanted to do it their way often enough to frustrate us.<br /><br />At this point I'm going to gloss over the emotional side of this experience, because this letter isn't intended to be a memoir, but I will say that there's almost no way to describe the impact this kind of revelation has on your mind. There are very few moments in life in which your entire world view is turned forever upside down, but this was one of them. I still remember that turning point during the briefing when I realized what he'd just told us, and that I hadn't heard him wrong, and that it wasn't some kind of joke. In retrospect the whole thing feels like it was in slow motion, from that slight pause he took just before the term “extra-terrestrial” came out for the first time, to the way the room itself seemed to go off kilter as we collectively tried to grasp what was being said. My reflex kept jumping back and forth between trying to look at the speaker, to understand him better, and looking at everyone else around me, to make sure I wasn't the only one that was hearing this. At the risk of sounding melodramatic, it's a lot like a child learning his parents are divorcing. I never experienced that myself, but a very close friend of mine did when were boys, and he confided in me a great deal about what the experience felt like. A lot of what he said would aptly describe what I was feeling in that room. Here was a trusted authority figure telling you something that you just don't feel ready for, and putting a burden on your mind that you don't necessarily want to carry. The moment that first word comes out, all you can think about it is what it was like only seconds ago, and knowing that life is never going to be as simple as it was then. After all that time at the DoD, I thought I at least had some idea of what was going on in the world, but I'd never heard so much as a peep about this. Maybe one day I'll write more on this aspect, because it's the kind of thing I really would like to get off my chest, but for now I'll digress.<br /><br />Unlike traditional research in this area, we weren’t working on new toys for the air force. For numerous reasons, the CARET people decided to aim its efforts at commercial applications rather than military ones. They basically wanted us to turn these artifacts into something they could patent and sell. One of CARET’s most appealing promises was the revenue generated by these product-ready technologies, which could be funneled right back into black projects. Working with a commercial application in mind was also yet another way to keep us in a familiar mind state. Developing technology for the military is very different than doing so for the commercial sector, and not having to worry about the difference was another way that CARET was very much like private industry.<br /><br />CARET shined in the way it let us work the way we were used to working. They wanted to recreate as much of the environment we were used to as they could without compromising issues like security. That meant we got free reign to set up our own workflow, internal management structure, style manuals, documentation, and the like. They wanted this to look and feel like private industry, not the military. They knew that was how to get the best work out of us, and they were right.<br /><br />But things didn’t go as smoothly when it came to matters like access to classified information. They were exposing what is probably their single biggest secret to a group of people who had never even been through basic training and it was obvious that the gravity of this decision was never far from their minds. We started the program with a small set of extra-terrestrial artifacts along with fairly elaborate briefings on each as well as access to a modest amount of what research had already been completed. It wasn’t long before we realized we needed more though, and getting them to provide even the smallest amount of new material was like pulling teeth. CARET stood for “Commercial Applications Research for Extra-terrestrial Technology”, but we often joked that it should have stood for “Civilians Are Rarely Ever Trusted.”<br /><br />PACL was located in Palo Alto, but unlike XPARC, it wasn’t at the end of a long road in the middle of a big complex surrounded by rolling hills and trees. PACL was hidden in an office complex owned entirely by the military but made to look like an unassuming tech company. From the street, all you could see was what appeared to be a normal parking lot with a gate and a guard booth, and a 1-story building inside with a fictitious name and logo. What wasn’t visible from the street was that behind the very first set of doors was enough armed guards to invade Poland, and 5 additional underground stories. They wanted to be as close as possible to the kinds of people they were looking to hire and be able to bring them in with a minimum of fuss.<br /><br />Inside, we had everything we needed. State of the art hardware and a staff of over 200 computer scientists, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, physicists and mathematicians. Most of us were civilians, as I’ve said, but some were military, and a few of them had been working on this technology already. Of course, you were never far from the barrel of a machine gun, even inside the labs themselves (something many of us never got used to), and bi-weekly tours were made by military brass to ensure that not a single detail was out of line. Most of us underwent extensive searches on our way into and out of the building. There it was, probably the biggest secret in the world, in a bunch of parts spread out on laboratory tables in the middle of Palo Alto so you can imagine their concern.<br /><br />One downside to CARET was that it wasn't as well-connected as other operations undoubtedly were. I never got to see any actual extra-terrestrials (not even photos), and in fact never even saw one of their compete vehicles. 99% of what I saw was related to the work at hand, all of which was conducted within a very narrow context on individual artifacts only. The remaining 1% came from people I met through the program, many of which working more closely with “the good stuff” or had in the past.<br /><br />In fact, what was especially amusing about the whole affair was the way that our military management almost tried to act as if the technology we were essentially reverse engineering wasn't extra-terrestrial at all. Aside from the word “extra-terrestrial” itself, we rarely heard any other terms like “alien” or “UFO” or “outer space” or anything. Those aspects were only mentioned briefly when absolutely necessary to explain something. In many cases it was necessary to differentiate between the different races and their respective technology, and they didn't even use the word “races”. They were referred to simply as different “sources”.<br /><br />The Technology<br /><br />A lot of the technology we worked on was what you would expect, namely antigravity. Most of the researchers on the staff with backgrounds in propulsion and rocketry were military men, but the technology we were dealing with was so out of this world that it didn’t really matter all that much what your background was because none of it applied. All we could hope to do was use the vocabulary of our respective fields as a way to model the extremely bizarre new concepts we were very slowly beginning to understand as best we could. A rocket engineer doesn’t usually rub elbows much with a computer scientist, but inside PACL, we were all equally mystified and were ready to entertain any and all ideas.<br /><br />The physicists made the most headway initially because out of all of our skills, theirs overlapped the most with the concepts behind this technology (although that isn’t saying much!) Once they got the ball rolling though, we began to find that many of the concepts found in computer science were applicable as well, albeit in very vague ways. While I didn’t do a lot of work with the antigrav hardware myself, I was occasionally involved in the assessment of how that technology was meant to interface with its user.<br /><br />The antigrav was amazing, of course, as were the advances we were making with materials engineering and so on. But what interested me most then, and still amazes me most to this day, was something completely unrelated. In fact, it was this technology that immediately jumped out at me when I saw the Chad and Rajman photos, and even more so in the Big Basin photos.<br /><br />The “Language”<br /><br />I put the word Language in quotes because calling what I am about to describe a “language” is a misnomer, although it is an easy mistake to make.<br /><br />Their hardware wasn’t operated in quite the same way as ours. In our technology, even today, we have a combination of hardware and software running almost everything on the planet. Software is more abstract than hardware, but ultimately it needs hardware to run it. In other words, there’s no way to write a computer program on a piece of paper, set that piece of paper on a table or something, and expect it to actually do something. The most powerful code in the world still doesn’t actually do anything until a piece of hardware interprets it and translates its commands into actions.<br /><br />But their technology is different. It really did operate like the magical piece of paper sitting on a table, in a manner of speaking. They had something akin to a language, that could quite literally execute itself, at least in the presence of a very specific type of field. The language, a term I am still using very loosely, is a system of symbols (which does admittedly very much resemble a written language) along with geometric forms and patterns that fit together to form diagrams that are themselves functional. Once they are drawn, so to speak, on a suitable surface made of a suitable material and in the presence of a certain type of field, they immediately begin performing the desired tasks. It really did seem like magic to us, even after we began to understand the principles behind it.<br /><br />I worked with these symbols more than anything during my time at PACL, and recognized them the moment I saw them in the photos. They appear in a very simple form on Chad’s craft, but appear in the more complex diagram form on the underside of the Big Basin craft as well. Both are unmistakable, even at the small size of the Big Basin photos. An example of a diagram in the style of the Big Basin craft is included with this in a series of scanned pages from the [mistitled] "Linguistic Analysis Primer". We needed a copy of that diagram to be utterly precise, and it took about a month for a team of six to copy that diagram into our drafting program!<br /><br />Explaining everything I learned about this technology would fill up several volumes, but I will do my best to explain at least some of the concepts as long as I am taking the time to write all this down.<br /><br />First of all, you wouldn't open up their hardware to find a CPU here, and a data bus there, and some kind of memory over there. Their hardware appeared to be perfectly solid and consistent in terms of material from one side to the other. Like a rock or a hunk of metal. But upon [much] closer inspection, we began to learn that it was actually one big holographic computational substrate - each "computational element" (essentially individual particles) can function independently, but are designed to function together in tremendously large clusters. I say its holographic because you can divide it up into the smallest chunks you want and still find a scaled-down but complete representation of the whole system. They produce a nonlinear computational output when grouped. So 4 elements working together is actually more than 4 times more powerful than 1. Most of the internal "matter" in their crafts (usually everything but the outermost housing) is actually this substrate and can contribute to computation at any time and in any state. The shape of these "chunks" of substrate also had a profound effect on its functionality, and often served as a "shortcut" to achieve a goal that might otherwise be more complex.<br /><br />So back to the language. The language is actually a "functional blueprint". The forms of the shapes, symbols and arrangements thereof is itself functional. What makes it all especially difficult to grasp is that every element of each "diagram" is dependant on and related to every other element, which means no single detail can be created, removed or modified independently. Humans like written language because each element of the language can be understood on its own, and from this, complex expressions can be built. However, their "language" is entirely context-sensitive, which means that a given symbol could mean as little as a 1-bit flag in one context, or, quite literally, contain the entire human genome or a galaxy star map in another. The ability for a single, small symbol to contain, not just represent, tremendous amounts of data is another counter-intuitive aspect of this concept. We quickly realized that even working in groups of 10 or more on the simplest of diagrams, we found it virtually impossible to get anything done. As each new feature was added, the complexity of the diagram exponentially grew to unmanageable proportions. For this reason we began to develop computer-based systems to manage these details and achieved some success, although again we found that a threshold was quickly reached beyond which even the supercomputers of the day were unable to keep up. Word was that the extra-terrestrials could design these diagrams as quickly and easily as a human programmer could write a Fortran program. It's humbling to think that even a network of supercomputers wasn't able to duplicate what they could do in their own heads. Our entire system of language is based on the idea of assigning meaning to symbols. Their technology, however, somehow merges the symbol and the meaning, so a subjective audience is not needed. You can put whatever meaning you want on the symbols, but their behavior and functionality will not change, any more than a transistor will function differently if you give it another name.<br /><br />Here's an example of how complex the process is. Imagine I ask you to incrementally add random words to a list such that no two words use any of the same letters, and you must perform this exercise entirely in your head, so you can't rely on a computer or even a pen and paper. If the first in the list was, say, "fox", the second item excludes all words with the letters F, O and X. If the next word you choose is "tree", then the third word in the list can't have the letters F, O, X, T, R, or E in it. As you can imagine, coming up with even a third word might start to get just a bit tricky, especially since you can't easily visualize the excluded letters by writing down the words. By the time you get to the fourth, fifth and sixth words, the problem has spiraled out of control. Now imagine trying to add the billionth word to the list (imagine also that we're working with an infinite alphabet so you don't run out of letters) and you can imagine how difficult it is for even a computer to keep up. Needless to say, writing this kind of thing "by hand" is orders of magnitude beyond the capabilities of the brain.<br /><br />My background lent itself well to this kind of work though. I'd spent years writing code and designing both analog and digital circuits, a process that at least visually resembled these diagrams in some way. I also had a personal affinity for combinatorics, which served me well as I helped with the design of software running on supercomputers that could juggle the often trillions of rules necessary to create a valid diagram of any reasonable complexity. This overlapped quite a bit with compiler theory as well, a subject I always found fascinating, and in particular compiler optimization, a field that wasn't half of what it is today back then. A running joke among the linguistics team was that Big-O notation couldn't adequately describe the scale of the task, so we'd substitute other words for "big". By the time I left I remember the consensus was "Astronomical-O" finally did it justice.<br /><br />Like I said, I could go on for hours about this subject, and would love to write at least an introductory book on the subject if it wasn't still completely classified, but that's not the point of this letter so I'll try to get back on track.<br /><br />The last thing I'd like to discuss is how I got copies of this material, what else I have in my possession, and what I plan to do with it in the future.<br /><br />My Collection<br /><br />I worked at PACL from 1984 to 1987, by which time I was utterly burned out. The sheer volume of details to keep in mind while working with the diagrams was enough to challenge anyone's sanity, and I was really at the end of my rope with the military's attitude towards our “need to know”. Our ability to get work done was constantly hampered by their reluctance to provide us with the necessary information, and I was tired of bureaucracy getting in the way of research and development. I left somewhere in the middle of a 3-month bell curve in which about a quarter of the entire PACL staff left for similar reasons.<br /><br />I was also starting to disagree with the direction the leadership wanted to take as far as the subject of extra-terrestrials went. I always felt that at least some form of disclosure would be beneficial, but as a lowly CARET engineer I wasn't exactly in the position to call shots. The truth is, our management didn't even want us discussing non-technical aspects of this subject (such as ethical or philosophical issues), even among ourselves, as they felt it was enough of a breach of security to let civilians like us anywhere near this kind of thing in the first place.<br /><br />So, about 3 months before I resigned (which was about 8 months before I was really out, since you don't just walk out of a job like that with a 2 week notice). I decided to start taking advantage of my position. As I mentioned earlier, my DoD experience got me into an internal management role sooner than some of my colleagues, and after about a year of that kind of status, the outgoing searches each night became slightly less rigorous. Normally, we were to empty out any containers, bags or briefcases, then remove our shirt and shoes and submit to a kind of frisking. Work was never allowed to go home with you, no matter who you were. For me, though, the briefcase search was eventually enough.<br /><br />Even before I actually decided to do it, I was sure that I would be able to sneak certain materials out with me. I wanted to do this because I knew the day would come when I would want to write something like this, and I knew I'd regret it until the day I died if I didn't at least leave the possibility open to do so. So I started photocopying documents and reports by the dozen. I'd then put the papers under my shirt around my lower back, tucked enough into my belt to ensure they wouldn't fall out. I could do this in any one of a few short, windowless hallways on some of the lower floors, which were among the few places that didn't have an armged guard watching my every move. I'd walk in one end with a stack of papers large enough that when I came out the other end with some of them in my shirt, there wouldn't be a visible difference in what I was holding. You absolutely cannot be too careful if you're going to pull a stunt like this. As long as I walked carefully they wouldn't make a crinkling noise. In fact, the more papers I took, the less noise they made, since they weren't as flimsy that way. I'd often take upwards of 10-20 pages at once. By the time I was done, I'd made out with hundreds of photocopies, as well as a few originals and a large collection of original photographs.<br /><br />With this initial letter I have attached high resolution scans of the following:<br /><br />A page from an inventory review with a photo that appears to depict one of the parts found in the Rajman sighting and parts very similar to the Big Basin craft <br />The first 9 pages of one of our quarterly research reports <br />Scans of the original photographs used in that report, since the photocopies obscure most of the details <br />5 pages from a report on our ongoing analysis of the “language” (inappropriately titled “linguistic analysis”), depicting the kind of diagram just barely visible on the underside of the Big Basin craft <br />This material is the most relevant and explanatory I could find on short notice. Now that these are up, IF I decide to release more in the future, I'll be able to take my time and better search this rather large collection of mine that I've sadly never organized. I'm not sure what I'll be doing with the rest of the collection in the future. I suppose I'll wait and see how this all plays out, and then play it by ear. There are certainly risks involved in what I'm doing, and if I were to actually be identified and caught, there could be rather serious consequences. However, I've taken the proper steps to ensure a reasonable level of anonymity and am quite secure in the fact that the information I've so far provided is by no means unique among many of the CARET participants.<br /><br />Besides, part of me has always suspected that the government relies on the occasional leak like this, and actually wants them to happen, because it contributes to a steady, slow-paced path towards revealing the truth of this matter.<br /><br />Since Leaving CARET<br /><br />Like I said, I left PACL in '87, but have kept in touch with a great many of my friends and coworkers from those days. Most of us are retired by now, except of course for those of us that went on to get teaching jobs, but a few of us still hear things through the grapevine.<br /><br />As for CARET itself, I'm not sure what's become of it. Whether it's still known by the same name, I'm quite sure it's still active in some capacity, although who knows where. I heard from a number of people that PACL closed up shop a few years after I left, but I've still yet to get a clear answer on why exactly that happened. But I'm sure the kind of work we did there is still going strong. I've heard from a lot of friends that there are multiple sites like PACL in Sunnyvale and Mountain View, also disguised to look like unremarkable office space. But this is all second-hand information so you can make of it what you will.<br /><br />Around 2002 or so I came across Coast to Coast AM and have been hooked ever since. I admit, I don't take most of the show's content as anything more than entertainment, but there have been occasions when I could be sure a guest was clearly speaking from experience or a well-informed source. For me, there's just something very surreal about hearing all this speculation and so-called inside information about UFOs and the like, but being personally able to verify at least some of it as being true or false. It's also a nightly reminder of how hectic things were in those days, which helps me enjoy my retirement all the more. Knowing I'm not part of that crazy world anymore really is something I enjoy on a daily basis, as much as I miss some of it.<br /><br />Conclusion<br /><br />What I've shared so far is only a very small portion of what I have, and what I know. Despite the very sheltered and insulated atmosphere within CARET, I did ultimately learn a great deal from various colleagues, and some of what I learned is truly incredible. I'd also like to say that for what it's worth, during my time there I never heard anything about invasions, or abductions, or many of the more frightening topics that often pop up on Coast to Coast AM. That's not to say that none of it is true, but in my time working alongside some of the most well-connected people in this field, it never came up. So at the very least I can say my intent is not to scare anyone. My view on the extra-terrestrial situation is very much a positive, albeit still highly secretive one.<br /><br />One thing I can definitely say is that if they wanted us gone, we would have been gone a very, very long time ago, and we wouldn't even have seen it coming. Throw out your ideas about a space war or anything silly like that. We'd be capable of fighting back against them about as much as ants could fight back against a stampede of buffalo. But that's OK. We're the primitive race, they're the advanced races, and that's just the way it is. The other advanced races let them live through their primitive years back in their day, and there's no reason to think it will be any different for us. They aren't in the market for a new planet, and even if they were, there are way too many planets out there for them to care about ours enough to take it by force.<br /><br />To reiterate my take on the recent sightings, I'd guess that experimentation done in the last couple months on a device that, among other things, is capable of interfering with various crafts onboard invisibility has resulted in a sudden wave of sightings. It may not explain all of the recent events, but like I said, I'd bet my life that's exactly what happened at Big Basin at least, and it's probably related in some way to the Chad, Rajman and Tahoe sightings. So, despite all the recent fanfare over this, I'd say this doesn't mean much. Most importantly, they aren't suddenly “here”. They've been here for a long time, but just happened to turn unintentionally visible for brief periods recently.<br /><br />Lastly, there are so many people selling books, and DVDs, and doing lectures, and all that, that I would like to reiterate the fact that I am not here to sell anything. The material I'm sharing is free to distribute provided it's all kept intact and unmodified, and this letter is included. I tend to question the motives of anyone charging money for their information, and will assure you that I will never do such a thing. And in the future, just to cover all the bases, anyone claiming to be me who's selling a DVD or book is most certainly not going to be me.<br /><br />Any future releases from me will come from the email address I've used to contact Coast to Coast AM, and will be sent to them only. I'd like to make this clear as well to ensure that people can be sure that any future information comes from the same source, although I must be clear: at this time I do not have any future plans for additional information. Time will tell how long I will maintain this policy, but do not expect anything soon. I'd really like to let this information “settle” for a while and see how it goes. If I find out I'm getting an IRS audit tomorrow, then maybe this wasn't too smart. Until then, I'm going to take it slow. I hope this information has been helpful.<br /><br /> <br /><br />FURTHER INFORMATION<br /><br />Editor's Note: The following important information was sent to me by a reader of this site. Her information rings true to me: <br /><br />The drone articles was reeeaally interesting! <br /><br />Two thoughts on Isaac from a personal perspective. First, The power described in language: I've read many of his comments before, but in a book written about five thousand years ago. This caught my interest. This man struggles to describe concepts echoed in an ancient hebrew manuscript about the power in the hebrew language that God used to create the earth. (The Book of Creation, Sefer Yetzirah) <br /><br />These are the quotes that I found most startling: <br /><br />A language, that could quite literally execute itself, at least in the presence of a very specific type of field. <br />Geometric forms and patterns that fit together to form diagrams that are themselves functional <br />Holographic because you can divide it up into the smallest chunks you want and still find a scaled-down but complete representation of the whole system <br />Every element of each "diagram" is dependant on and related to every other element, which means no single detail can be created, removed or modified independently <br />"Language" is entirely context-sensitive, which means that a given symbol could mean as little as a 1-bit flag in one context, or, quite literally, contain the entire human genome or a galaxy star map in another <br />The ability for a single, small symbol to contain, not just represent, tremendous amounts of data <br />Their technology, however, somehow merges the symbol and the meaning, so a subjective audience is not needed. You can put whatever meaning you want on the symbols, but their behavior and functionality will not change, any more than a transistor will function differently if you give it another name <br /><br />Anyone who has studied the mysterious side of hebrew or sanskrit would recognize this. I've also read accounts of the first ten commandments--that moses broke--being described as holographic and fractal, yet in language terms that struggle to portray this long before these ideas existed commonly. The letters rose up and rotated, and within each letter were reams of other information that could be apparently be accessed. Like a compact computer. (The second set, however, was not. Just stone.)So Isaac describes an anomalous language and yet he does not know he is describing something that has been precisely written about long before, as well as after, Noah's flood. Pretty amazing. Watcher technology.<br /><br />Second thought: regarding THAT technology. Isaac's material reminds me of a quote from a second ancient manuscript. This is what God said to the fallen Watchers (advanced non human beings) who were charged with looking after mankind but blew it because of lust, selfishness, and rebellion.<br /><br />1 Enoch, Chapter 16;2-3<br />vs. 2 And now as to the watchers who have sent thee to intercede for them, who had been aforetime in heaven, <br />vs.3 (say to them): "You have been in heaven, but all the mysteries had not yet been revealed to you, and you knew worthless ones, and these in the hardness of your hearts you have made known to the women, and through these mysteries women and men work much evil on earth." 4 Say to them therefore: " You have no peace."'<br />http://wesley.nnu.edu/biblical_studies/noncanon/ot/pseudo/enoch.htm<br /><br />(End Quote)Mark Dixonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260629258516670212.post-12604825927879331522010-04-22T16:39:00.001-04:002010-04-22T16:42:17.330-04:00AyahuascaThis brew, commonly called yagé, or yajé in Colombia, ayahuasca in Ecuador and Peru (Inca "vine of the dead, vine of the souls," aya means in Quechua "spirit," "ancestor," "dead person," while huasca means "vine," "rope"), and caapi in Brazil, is prepared from segments of a species of the vine Banisteriopsis, a genus belonging to the Malpighiaceae.<br /><br />Sections of vine are boiled with leaves from any of a large number of potential admixture plants (such as Psychotria viridis, pictured above) resulting in a tea that contains the powerful hallucinogenic alkaloids harmine, harmaline, d-tetrahydroharmine, and dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Dimethyltryptamine closely resembles serotonin and has been discovered to be a component of normal mammallian metabolism, an endogenous hallucinogen. These compounds have chemical structures and effects similar, but not identical to LSD, mescaline of the peyote cactus, and psilocybin of the psychotropic Mexican mushroom. This brew has been used in the Amazon for millennia in order to heal, divine, and worship.<br /><br /><span style="color:#330000;"><strong>With Ayahuasca, an interior sound is commonly heard, which quite often triggers a spontaneous burst of imitative vocalizings, markedly unlike any conventional human speech or facial contortions. The tryptamines can apparently trigger a kind of rippling of facial muscles, which results in the production of a vocally modulated pressure wave. What is more startling is that the sound, which gains in energy the longer it is sustained, can actually become visible—as if the vibrational wave patterns were shifting into the visible spectrum or inducing a vibrational excitation of the air in such a way as to affect light diffraction. These observations suggest that although the wave is produced with sound, it may possess an electromagnetic component. This peculiar wave phenomenon will continue to be generated out of the mouth and nostrils and will be visible in the surrounding air as long as the vocalizations are continued.<br /></strong></span><br />Natives of Amazon have traditionally combined Banisteriopsis caapi vine, which contains harmine, harmaline and related beta-carbolines, with DMT-containing plants to make an orally active brew called ayahuasca. Other plants containing harmine and/or harmaline can be substituted for B. caapi. The usual 'North-American ayahuasca' consists of Peganum harmala seeds and Desmanthus illinoensis roots, and in Australian 'acaciahuasca' leaves of Acacia complanata are combined with material from DMT-containing acacias (the effectivity of this mixture hasn't been confirmed).Mark Dixonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260629258516670212.post-7912775214492259432010-04-21T02:47:00.000-04:002010-04-21T02:53:31.574-04:00The Philadelphia ExperimentThe “Philadelphia Experiment,” otherwise known as “Project Rainbow,” has been a subject of long controversy and debate. It was an attempt by the Navy to create a ship that could not be detected by magnetic mines and-or radar.<br /><br />There was also talk of invisibility projects and mind control experiments. The truth behind this project will never be known to the public. It is just one those triggers that we encounter that propels into awareness as who we are on a soul level.<br /><br />However, results of these experiments became far different and much more dangerous than the Navy ever expected. Although the story itself seems too bizarre to be true, far too many coincidences have occurred for it to not be based upon some small iota of truth. The technical data that has also been presented upon the subject hold far too much credence to be ignored.<br /><br />Many of the stories associated with this infamous experiment are wild: whispers of men “freezing” in time for months, rumors of men traveling through time, and horror stories of men becoming stuck in bulkheads or even the floor of the ship itself. In the movie of the same name - the visual of the men being part above the deck - and part buried in the deck - is amazing. This sort of things has been done on “X-Files” as well when they did a storyline about temporal anomalies.<br /><br />In the 1930s Nikola Tesla got involved with a group with was experimenting with moving through the Time/Space continuum. In the early 1930s, the University of Chicago investigated the possibility of invisibility through the use of electricity.<br /><br />In 1939 this project was moved to Princeton’s Institute of Advanced Studies - this is not far from Philadelphia. There they were able to make small objects invisible. They presented this technology to the U.S. Government. The military, because we were at war, wanted to pursue it in their direction.<br /><br />Tesla had come to the same conclusion that Einstein did: this technology, if developed, would not be used for the benefit of mankind.<br /><br />In 1943 the U.S. Government conducted a test using domestic animals on a ship. The ship that was eventually used for the experiment, the U.S.S. Eldridge, was commissioned at the New York Navy Yard on August 27, 1943 (Department of the Navy). The animals were placed in metal cages on the U.S.S. Eldridge. The ship became invisible, but, when it materialized, many of the animals were missing or had radiation and other burn marks on them. Humans were not to be tested.<br /><br />Yet on August 12, 1943, the U.S.S. Eldridge, with a full crew aboard, reportedly underwent the “Philadelphia Experiment” (a similar experiment to that done with the domestic animals). The men did not know what was to happen. The generators were fired up. The switches were thrown. The ship disappeared and all seemed well.<br /><br />However, others claim that the experiment took place on October 28, 1943. Substantial evidence points to the October date as being more accurate. The Navy has released the U.S.S. Eldridge’s deck log and war diary. At no time, according to the ship’s deck log, was the U.S.S. Eldridge in Philadelphia. However, the records could have easily been changed.<br /><br />The U.S.S. Eldridge’s war diary reads as such: The U.S.S. Eldridge remained in New York and the Long Island Sound until September 16, when it left for Bermuda. From September 18 to October 15, it underwent training and sea trials. On October 18, it left in a convoy for New York and remained there until November 1. From November 1 to the 2, it went on a convoy to Norfolk and on November 3 left in a convoy for Casablanca. The U.S.S. Eldridge arrived in Casablanca on November 22 and stayed there until November 29, when it left for New York again in another convoy. The U.S.S. Eldridge arrived in New York on December 17.<br /><br />From December 17 to December 31, the U.S.S. Eldridge traveled to Norfolk with four other ships (Department of the Navy). Although this is not the entire war log, it is the log of the ship during the suspected time the experiment took place (October 28, as mentioned above).<br /><br />It would seem that the Navy never did experiments on the U.S.S. Eldridge at any time, but the U.S. Government has been known to cover up actual events because of national security in the past. An example of such a situation would be the Manhattan project. This secret project was the building of the atomic bomb and no word was ever said about it until it was obvious that we had an atomic bomb.<br /><br />The Navy, in a search for a plausible answer, has suggested that perhaps the “Philadelphia Experiment” was confused with experiments done attempting invisibility to magnetic mines. This was a process known as degaussing.<br /><br />But the ship was gone from the harbor for about 4 hours, not just a few minutes. Legend has it that the ship was transported through space and time. It arced through Space/Time.<br /><br />Four hours later it returned to its original place. There was a greenish haze on deck. Some of the sailors were on fire. Some seemed insane. All were sick. Some had heart attacks. Some were dead. Some were either part of the superstructure of the ship or buried in the deck or walls of the ship. Some reports said that men just seemed to disappear and were never seen again.<br /><br />But where had the ship gone for 4 hours? Some witnesses placed it in Norfolk Harbor. Others say it voyaged 40 years into the future and wound up at Montauk, New York.<br /><br />The Navy denied everything and said the men were lost at sea. Perhaps one day the truth will be known.<br /><br />The “Montauk Project” purported links several of these sailors to Montauk, New York, with a time loop to 1983.Mark Dixonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260629258516670212.post-38722213860137178762010-04-21T02:45:00.001-04:002010-04-21T02:46:56.692-04:00Grand Canyon Exploration 1909The latest news of the progress of the explorations of what is now regarded by scientists as not only the oldest archeological discovery in the United States, but one of the most valuable in the world, which was mentioned some time ago in the Gazette, was brought to the city yesterday by G.E. Kinkaid, the explorer who found the great underground citadel of the Grand Canyon during a trip from Green River, Wyoming, down the Colorado, in a wooden boat, to Yuma, several months ago.<br /><br />According to the story related to the Gazette by Mr. Kinkaid, the archaelogists of the Smithsonian Institute, which is financing the expeditions, have made discoveries which almost conclusively prove that the race which inhabited this mysterious cavern, hewn in solid rock by human hands, was of oriental origin, possibly from Egypt, tracing back to Ramses. If their theories are borne out by the translation of the tablets engraved with heiroglyphics, the mystery of the prehistoric peoples of North America, their ancient arts, who they were and whence they came, will be solved. Egypt and the Nile, and Arizona and the Colorado will be linked by a historical chain running back to ages which staggers the wildest fancy of the fictionist. <br /><br />A Thorough Examination <br /><br />Under the direction of Prof. S. A. Jordan, the Smithsonian Institute is now prosecuting the most thorough explorations, which will be continued until the last link in the chain is forged. Nearly a mile underground, about 1480 feet below the surface, the long main passage has been delved into, to find another mammoth chamber from which radiates scores of passageways, like the spokes of a wheel.<br /><br />Several hundred rooms have been discovered, reached by passageways running from the main passage, one of them having been explored for 854 feet and another 634 feet. The recent finds include articles which have never been known as native to this country, and doubtless they had their origin in the orient. War weapons, copper instruments, sharp-edged and hard as steel, indicate the high state of civilization reached by these strange people. So interested have the scientists become that preparations are being made to equip the camp for extensive studies, and the force will be increased to thirty or forty persons. <br /><br />Mr. Kinkaid's Report <br /><br />Mr. Kinkaid was the first white child born in Idaho and has been an explorer and hunter all his life, thirty years having been in the service of the Smithsonian Institute. Even briefly recounted, his history sounds fabulous, almost grotesque. <br /><br />"First, I would impress that the cavern is nearly inaccessible. The entrance is 1,486 feet down the sheer canyon wall. It is located on government land and no visitor will be allowed there under penalty of trespass. The scientists wish to work unmolested, without fear of archeological discoveries being disturbed by curio or relic hunters. A trip there would be fruitless, and the visitor would be sent on his way. The story of how I found the cavern has been related, but in a paragraph: I was journeying down the Colorado river in a boat, alone, looking for mineral. Some forty-two miles up the river from the El Tovar Crystal canyon, I saw on the east wall, stains in the sedimentary formation about 2,000 feet above the river bed. There was no trail to this point, but I finally reached it with great difficulty. <br /><br />Above a shelf which hid it from view from the river, was the mouth of the cave. There are steps leading from this entrance some thirty yards to what was, at the time the cavern was inhabited, the level of the river. When I saw the chisel marks on the wall inside the entrance, I became interested, securing my gun and went in. During that trip I went back several hundred feet along the main passage till I came to the crypt in which I discovered the mummies. One of these I stood up and photographed by flashlight. I gathered a number of relics, which I carried down the Colorado to Yuma, from whence I shipped them to Washington with details of the discovery. Following this, the explorations were undertaken. <br /><br />The Passages <br /><br />"The main passageway is about 12 feet wide, narrowing to nine feet toward the farther end. About 57 feet from the entrance, the first side-passages branch off to the right and left, along which, on both sides, are a number of rooms about the size of ordinary living rooms of today, though some are 30 by 40 feet square. These are entered by oval-shaped doors and are ventilated by round air spaces through the walls into the passages. The walls are about three feet six inches in thickness. <br /><br />The passages are chiseled or hewn as straight as could be laid out by an engineer. The ceilings of many of the rooms converge to a center. The side-passages near the entrance run at a sharp angle from the main hall, but toward the rear they gradually reach a right angle in direction. <br /><br />The Shrine <br /><br />"Over a hundred feet from the entrance is the cross-hall, several hundred feet long, in which are found the idol, or image, of the people's god, sitting cross-legged, with a lotus flower or lily in each hand. The cast of the face is oriental, and the carving this cavern. The idol almost resembles Buddha, though the scientists are not certain as to what religious worship it represents. Taking into consideration everything found thus far, it is possible that this worship most resembles the ancient people of Tibet. <br /><br />Surrounding this idol are smaller images, some very beautiful in form; others crooked-necked and distorted shapes, symbolical, probably, of good and evil. There are two large cactus with protruding arms, one on each side of the dais on which the god squats. All this is carved out of hard rock resembling marble. In the opposite corner of this cross-hall were found tools of all descriptions, made of copper. These people undoubtedly knew the lost art of hardening this metal, which has been sought by chemicals for centureis without result. On a bench running around the workroom was some charcoal and other material probably used in the process. There is also slag and stuff similar to matte, showing that these ancients smelted ores, but so far no trace of where or how this was done has been discovered, nor the origin of the ore. <br /><br />"Among the other finds are vases or urns and cups of copper and gold, made very artistic in design. The pottery work includes enameled ware and glazed vessels. Another passageway leads to granaries such as are found in the oriental temples. They contain seeds of varous kinds. One very large storehouse has not yet been entered, as it is twelve feet high and can be reached only from above. Two copper hooks extend on the edge, which indicates that some sort of ladder was attached. These granaries are rounded, as the materials of which they are constructed, I think, is a ver hard cement. A gray metal is also found in this cavern, which puzzles the scientists, for its identity has not been established. It resembles platinum. Strewn promiscuously over the floor everywhere are what people call "cats eyse', a yellow stone of no great value. Each one is engraved with the head of the Malay type. <br /><br />The Hieroglyphics <br /><br />"On all the urns, or walls over doorways , and tablets of stone which were found by the image are the mysterious hieroglyphics, the key to which the Smithsonian Institute hopes yet to discover. The engraving on the tables probably has something to do with the religion of the people. Similar hieroglyphics have been found in southern Arizona. Among the pictorial writings, only two animals are found. One is of prehistoric type. <br /><br />The Crypt <br /><br />"The tomb or crypt in which the mummies were found is one of the largest of the chambers, the walls slanting back at an angle of about 35 degrees. On these are tiers of mummies, each one occupying a separate hewn shelf. At the head of each is a small bench, on which is found copper cups and pieces of broken swords. Some of the mummies are covered with clay, and all are wrapped in a bark fabric.<br /><br />"The urns or cups on the lower tiers are crude, while as the higher shelves are reached, the urns are finer in design, showing a later stage of civilization. It is worthy of note that all the mummies examined so far have proved to be male, no children or females being buried here. This leads to the belief that this exterior section was the warriors' barracks. <br /><br />"Among the discoveries no bones of animals have been found, no skins, no clothing, no bedding. Many of the rooms are bare but for water vessels. One room, about 40 by 700 feet, was probably the main dining hall, for cooking utensils are found here. What these people lived on is a problem, though it is presumed that they came south in the winter and farmed in the valleys, going back north in the summer.<br /><br />"Upwards of 50,000 people could have lived in the caverns comfortably. One theory is that the present Indian tribes found in Arizona are descendants of the serfs or slaves of the people which inhabited the cave. Undoubtedly a good many thousands of years before the Christian era, a people lived here which reached a high stage of civilization. The chronology of human history is full of gaps. Professor Jordan is much enthused over the discoveries and believes that the find will prove of incalculable value in archeological work. <br /><br />"One thing I have not spoken of, may be of interest. There is one chamber of the passageway to which is not ventilated, and when we approached it a deadly, snaky smell struck us. Our light would not penetrate the gloom, and until stronger ones are available we will not know what the chamber contains. Some say snakes, but other boo-hoo this idea and think it may contain a deadly gas or chemicals used by the ancients. No sounds are heard, but it smells snaky just the same. <br /><br />"The whole underground installation gives one of shaky nerves the creeps. The gloom is like a weight on one's shoulders, and our flashlights and candles only make the darkness blacker. Imagination can revel in conjectures and ungodly daydreams back through the ages that have elapsed till the mind reels dizzily in space." <br /><br />An Indian Legend <br /><br />In connection with this story, it is notable that among the Hopi Indians the tradition is told that their ancestors once lived in an underworld in the Grand Canyon till dissension arose between the good and the bad, the people of one heart and the people of two hearts. Machetto, who was their chief, counseled them to leave the underworld, but there was no way out. The chief then caused a tree to grow up and pierce the roof of the underworld, and then the people of one heart climbed out. They tarried by Paisisvai (Red River), which is the Colorado, and grew grain and corn.<br /><br />They sent out a message to the Temple of the Sun, asking the blessing of peace, good will and rain for people of one heart. That messenger never returned, but today at the Hopi villages at sundown can be seen the old men of the tribe out on the housetops gazing toward the sun, looking for the messenger. When he returns, their lands and ancient dwelling place will be restored to them. That is the tradition.<br /><br />Among the engravings of animals in the cave is seen the image of a heart over the spot where it is located. The legend was learned by W.E. Rollins, the artist, during a year spent with the Hopi Indians.<br /><br />There are two theories of the origin of the Egyptians. One is that they came from Asia; another that the racial cradle was in the upper Nile region. Heeren, an Egyptologist, believed in the Indian origin of the Egyptians. The discoveries in the Grand Canyon may throw further light on human evolution and prehistoric ages.Mark Dixonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260629258516670212.post-2758909962274814952007-09-14T11:26:00.000-04:002007-09-14T11:44:05.871-04:00Negative Entities<strong>Visualize the Golden Light of Protection<br /></strong>If you sense an unseen presence that has left you feeling frightened and disoriented, immediately visualize a Golden Light of Protection forming itself around you. Calm yourself by saying, as you inhale, "I am." On the outbreath, say, 'relaxed.’" Repeat this process a number of times until you feel yourself becoming calmer and more centered.<br />"I am," asserts your sovereignty and your uniqueness as an individual entity. "Relaxed" positively affirms your calm condition and establishes that you are in control of the situation.<br />Now visualize the image or energy of a holy figure you hold in high esteem. This can be an angel, a spirit guide, a saint, a prophet, an avatar, a master teacher. See that holy figure taking your hand and standing beside you. Feel strength, born of love, swell within your being.<br />Know and understand that your Golden Light of Protection and the love and power of the holy figure have built an impenetrable barrier between you and the negative unseen entity.<br /><strong>Surrounding Yourself with a Positive Energy Field </strong><br />If you should sense the presence of negative entities in your environment, practice this exercise. Immediately visualize yourself slamming a door between you and the negative presence.<br />Next, visualize a golden energy of light moving upward from the bottoms of your feet to the top of your head. See it moving over your legs, your hips, your chest, your neck, right up to the top of your head. Then see the energy cascading down around you in sparks of golden light, as if you are being enveloped by the shimmering, sparkling outpouring of a spiritual roman candle.<br />Impress upon your consciousness that those “sparks” of golden light represent a vibrant, positive energy field that surrounds you and forms a vital protective shield against all discordant and negative entities.<br /><strong>A Prayer for Protection from Negative Entities</strong><br />If you should suddenly find yourself in the presence of a seen or unseen entity that appears to be frightening or threatening to you, immediately respond by saying the following prayer:<br />“O Beloved [say here the name of the holy figure you most revere] send your protective energies of light and love around me at once.<br />"Erect a shield of love and light around me that is invincible, all powerful, and unable to be penetrated by any negative or evil force.<br />"Keep me completely protected from all things that are not of the Light or of God.<br />"Hold me immune from the energy of all negative, evil, or hostile beings.<br />"Banish at once the entity that I see [feel, hear, smell] before me!"<br /><strong>A Prayer for Renewed Strength and Energy</strong><br />Many people who have encountered entities from the Unseen World have reported that they suddenly felt themselves drained of energy and strength. If you should sense or perceive a negative entity or energy in your environment and experience a sudden energy drain, say the following prayer:<br />"Beloved Light Being [or the name of a holy figure, your angelic guide, or your concept of God or Divinity] fill me with your great strength.<br />"Charge me with your light and your love.<br />"Rejuvenate each of my vital body functions with your strength and holy energy.<br />"Empower me with your might.<br />"Hold me now and always in the shelter of your love.<br />"Keep me always aware of your guidance and your direction.<br />"Empower me with your strength to banish all energies of negativity from my presence."<br /><strong>Cleansing Your Home of Negative Entities</strong><br />Here is a ritual that many individuals have used on a daily basis until their home feels purged of negative energy.<br />Call for the Golden Light of Protection and ask that your angelic/spirit guide or guardian connect you to the highest vibration of your concept of the Great Mystery, the Source of All that Is, Divinity, God. Visualize the light moving over you in a wave of warmth. See it touching every part of your body (and the bodies of any others present). Feel it interacting with your spirit (and the spirits of all others who are present).<br />Say aloud to your angel, spirit guide, or holy figure:<br />"Beloved [name of your guide, guardian angel, or holy figure] , assist me in calling upon the highest of energies from Divinity. Provoke the law of harmony for myself [and for any others with you] and for all of us of mortal clay who have found ourselves in a dark place of shadows that resists the Light. Permit the healing light of transformation to move around and through this place of dwelling.<br />"Allow the transforming energy to purify and to elevate all negative energies, all improper memories, all entities of evil purpose, all spirits who delight in wrongdoing, all vibrations that encourage impure desires.<br />"Direct the transforming energy to replace all darkness with light. Remove all chaotic energies and replace them with the purest of energies, the power of love, and the glory of all good and benevolent spirits.<br />"0 [your concept of God or Divinity], bless us with light so that we go forth on this new day of cleansing rejuvenated with perfect health, joy, illumination, and wisdom. Amen!"<br /><strong>A Word of Caution:</strong><br />Within the dimensions of the Unseen World there exist some entities that are bewildered, uncertain as to what occurred to them when death came. Others are still attached to people or places in our dimension of reality, and they wish to return to our material existence.<br />Those entities in the darkest regions of what some may term the Shadow World are often filled with anger at finding themselves in a bleak and hostile domain of their own making. They try in every way to affect and to influence the minds and lives of all those living persons who will receive them. They wish to possess the living so that they might escape the hell of their own creation. It is such entities as these who are referred to as "demons."<br />Whenever men and women lose control of their minds and their bodies through immoderate use of alcohol or drugs they recklessly open themselves to contact with these chaotic entities.<br />Whenever men and women choose to go about their daily activities emanating low-level vibrations of hate, jealousy, greed, or revenge, they make themselves vulnerable to contact with entities from the most chaotic regions of Shadow World.<br />You should avoid providing these negative entities easy access to your psyche by injudiciously practicing such occult exercises as working with the Ouija Board or attempting on your own to contact spirits of the dead.Mark Dixonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260629258516670212.post-92103253025371200242007-09-14T11:15:00.000-04:002007-09-14T11:26:13.249-04:00Dream TeachingsDream teachings, visions of guidance, and inspirations are all best achieved by entering sleep time or periods of meditation with the proper goals held foremost in your mind. Great shamans and master teachers of many spiritual paths have taught that the force of the Great Mystery [God, the Source-of-All-That-Is] penetrates into each soul, making each soul a part of it. When alone with their thoughts, the ancient ones listened and heard the Silence of the Great Mystery. They listened and saw the Silence. They listened and tasted the Silence. They closed their eyes and felt the Silence deep within.<br />Prior to your seeking a dream teaching, sit or lie quietly and concentrate on feeling the energy of the Silence touch you.<br />Feel the energy focus on your spiritual center (visualized for mental assistance as your Crown Chakra, the top of your head) and in your physical center (visualized for mental assistance as your Heart Chakra, the center of your chest).<br />Take three comfortably deep breaths and know that the sacred energy of the Silence has permeated the spiritual and physical centers of your own essence.<br />Be still--within and without--and know that the power of the Silence has entered all levels of your consciousness and all levels of your being.<br />Take three more comfortably deep breaths, holding each for the count of three. Feel at one with the essence of the Silence that has blended with you.<br />Now visualize a bright, golden glow emanating from your Heart Chakra and your Crown Chakra. In your mind, visualize two rays of golden light traveling from your Heart Chakra and your Crown Chakra to your personal concept of a Supreme Being, the Great Mystery, the Source-of-All-That-Is.<br />See those rays of golden light from your Heart Chakra and your Crown Chakra traveling to the very Heart of the Universe. As the connection is made between your Heart Chakra, your Crown Chakra, and the Source, see points of violet light emanating from every part of your body.<br />Concentrate for a moment on making your body as still as possible. Direct your attention to the Source, the great Mystery, and focus upon the ravs of golden light that emanate from your Heart Chakra and your Crown Chakra.<br />See clearly the rays of light that you are transmitting to the Source.<br />Feel your consciousness melding with Higher Consciousness and visualize yourself holding open hands to the Source, as if in supplication.<br />Now begin to request a positive dream teaching from the Highest Source-of-All-That-Is.<br />Mentally affirm the following (or create your own variation in keeping with the essence of the following supplication):<br />“0 Great Mystery (or whatever term for the Supreme Being you may prefer), grant to me a dream teaching that will inspire me with strength, energy, and great creative power.<br />“Grant that the dream teaching I receive will show me those things that I need to know for my good and my gaining and the accomplishment of worthy tasks on Earth.”<br />Visualize the Source, the Great Mystery, as the eternally powerful energy that creates the golden glow emanating from Your Heart Chakra and your Crown Chakra.<br />The more clearly, the more profoundly you can visualize this connection, the greater the results of your prayer for a dream teaching.<br /><br />Expanding Your Consciousness Prior to Receiving Dream Teachings<br /><br />Here is an excellent technique that will help you to expand your consciousness just before falling sleep and receiving dream teachings.<br />Visualize a pool of water before you.<br />Visualize the pool wherever you would most wish it to be--perhaps in a forest or at the foot of a majestic mountain or in your own backyard.<br />See yourself tossing a pebble into the pool and allow your consciousness to become one with the ripples that spread across the pool.<br />See the ripples of your consciousness moving farther and farther across the surface of the pool.<br />And now visualize your consciousness rippling from the center of the pool toward the farthest horizon, moving, moving onward, until your ripples have touched the farthest horizon and turned back to form a great circle.<br />You are in the center of this great circle, continuing to send forth ripples of consciousness.<br />You are in the center of a great circular pool of cosmic energy, and your ripples are now touching all the farthest points of the horizon--east, west, north, south.<br />You are now aware of yourself only as a focal point in the midst of the great pool of Time, the great pool of Creative Energy.<br />Open your heart and spirit to the blessings that will continue to return from the ripples that circle back from each horizon. Let your spiritual essence linger in the great pool of Creative Energy.<br />Receive ripple after ripple of greater consciousness returning to the very center of your awareness as you permit yourself to fall asleep to receive profound dream teachings that will enrich your life on earth.Mark Dixonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260629258516670212.post-77170554379179474242007-09-14T11:13:00.000-04:002007-09-14T11:14:59.704-04:00Ouija WarningSeventeen-year-old Jolene K, a passionate student of the paranormal and the occult, had begun experimenting with the Ouija board. She thought she had the knowledge to contact spirit entities through the board, but unfortunately she had neglected to assume a prayerful attitude to guard against malignant influences.<br />Her parents, Darwin and Aileen, called me to their home after a Friday night slumber party encounter with an ouija board had left their daughters, Jolene and twelve-year-old Joy, and three of Jolene's friends in hysterics.<br />According to Jolene, it had all begun three nights before on Tuesday evening after she had achieved what she believed to be a successful contact with a benevolent spirit through the Ouija board. The teenager said that she was in the process of putting the board away she became aware of a dark presence following her.<br />"At first it seemed something like a dark cloud," she said. "Or maybe even some kind of dark cloth, like a billowing cloak of some kind."<br />After she prepared for bed and said her prayers, she fell into a deep sleep.<br />"But when I awakened sometime before morning, I had an awful feeling," she said. "It felt like something icky was in the room with me."<br />Jolene got up, turned on all the lights in her bedroom, and went to the bathroom. "The lights made things better," she recalled, "so I just left them on until it was time for me to get up and go to school."<br />But even during the day at high school, she felt peculiar. "Really weird and nasty thoughts kept popping into my mind," she said. "Stupid thoughts, ugly thoughts--and especially sexual thoughts. I found myself fantasizing about guys--and girls. And when I walked between classes with my boyfriend Jake, I was literally trembling from the sexual feelings that I had for him."<br />Later that night, as Jolene prepared for bed, she washed her face, applied some cold cream on her face and was in the process of her evening "zit check" in front of her bathroom mirror when she found herself becoming completely fascinated with her features.<br />"It was as if I was seeing myself for the first time," she said. "Suddenly my nose, my cheekbones, my lips, my chin, my long dark hair--all of me seemed so totally wonderful. I was really beautiful. I wasn't just all right--I was terrific. And especially my eyes. I found myself just staring into the reflection of my eyes in the mirror."<br />Jolene has no idea how long she stood mesmerized by her own image in the mirror before she was aware of Joy standing beside her and squealing in disgust: "Eeeew! You really love yourself, don't you, Miss Movie Star? How creepy can you get? You were about to kiss yourself in the mirror!"<br />Jolene screamed at her sister, reminding Joy how many times she had forbidden her from entering "Her Majesty's" room without knocking first and gaining permission to do so.<br />"But the little Munchkin was right," Jolene admitted. "It was creepy the way I was standing there just staring at myself."<br />It became even creepier and more disconcerting when Jolene was brushing her teeth on Wednesday morning and saw a few moments of a fleeting "motion picture" in the mirror.<br />"It was like the mirror became a kind of crystal ball," she said, "and I saw my boyfriend Jake and his buddy Chuck getting in a bender-fender on the way to school that morning. When Jake wasn't in his homeroom, I knew that I had seen true. By third hour, everyone was talking about the accident. I had received an accurate prevision of an actual future event."<br />For the first time, Jolene decided to share her uncomfortable experience with the shadowy form that followed her back to her body after working the Ouija board. Melanie, Heather, and Michaela were three close friends who were also fascinated by the supernatural. All four of them were fans of the various vampire-slayers and witches on television, and each of them had built up a small library of books on magic, witchcraft, and the occult.<br />"Melanie hoped one day to become an initiated witch," Jolene said. "Heather experimented with a lot of different areas of the paranormal, and Michaela wanted to study to be a parapsychologist when she entered college."<br />Jolene told them that not only had she foreseen Jake's and Chuck's accident that morning, but ever since that night she had been receiving other kinds of strange visions.<br />"I could tell they really excited when I told them about all the sexual fantasies that had come to me, but they were most impressed with my ability to pick up impressions from some of the jewelry and stuff they had. I told them where they had got certain items or who had given it to them. Things I swear I didn't know before."<br />Then Michaela, the budding parapsychologist, removed the deck of miniature Zener cards that she always carried in her purse. The deck consists of five each of five symbols--the square, the cross, the wavy lines, the circle, and the star--and is used to test ESP.<br />"The girls were like totally amazed when I first got twenty out of twenty-five right, then twenty-two and twenty-three out of twenty-five," Jolene said. "Before when Michaela had tested me, I had never got too much above chance, five, six, or seven correct."<br />The consensus of Jolene's confidantes was that an entity from the Other Side had been summoned by her experiments with the Ouija board and was granting her increased psychic powers, such as an ability to receive glimpses of the future.<br />"I could tell that they were all kind of jealous of me, you know," Jolene said.<br />When Jolene looked into the mirror that night, she was startled to see a face behind her own, just to the left of her shoulder.<br />"The image really frightened me," she said. "It looked a lot like me, but its eyes had dark rings around them. Its hair was stringy, and its complexion had a kind of greenish tint to it. And when it smiled at me, it seemed more like an evil leer."<br />Jolene dropped to her knees and began to utter a prayer for protection and a supplication that she be surrounded by a shield of Light.<br />"After I had completed my prayers for protection and the banishment of evil, the mirror was once again clear," Jolene said. "I hoped that I had sent the thing back where it belonged and far away from me."<br />Things might have been resolved and the entity discouraged by Jolene's fervent prayers if the next day over lunch in the cafeteria Heather hadn't suggested that the four of them conduct a seance with the Ouija board to see if they could learn the identity of the entity was who had been following Jolene.<br />"I tried to warn them that this thing looked really evil and that we should let it go back to the Other Side," Jolene said. "But Heather kept insisting what a great research project this could be, and she got Michaela all excited about a big experiment, and pretty soon Melanie had come on board.<br />"I really began to suspect that Heather's motives were not strictly academic, you know. I think if truth were told she was jealous when the entity appeared to have granted me these big ESP powers, and she wondered if she might not be able to channel and control such energy if we worked some more with the being."<br />Against Jolene's objections, it was agreed that Friday night would be Ouija board night at her house. It was Jolene's turn to host a slumber party, anyway, so her parents wouldn't suspect that anything unusual might be occurring under their roof.<br />The K's had been given a clue, however. Darwin told me that on Wednesday evening as he had come upstairs to go to bed, he thought he saw Jolene in the hallway outside of her room.<br />"I called to her and asked what she was doing up at that late hour on a school night, but she didn't answer me," he said. "As I approached her, she turned and entered her bedroom. When I opened the door to see if anything were troubling her, I was surprised to see her in bed, quite obviously fast asleep."<br />And then Darwin received a couple of other surprises.<br />"It seemed that I caught a glimpse of Jolene standing in the doorway of her bathroom," he recalled. "How could this be, I wondered, because she is lying right there in her bed, right in front of me. And then I thought I saw the glowing outline of another person standing in the shadows off to the right of Jolene's bed. There was a soft, hissing sound from the direction of the bathroom, and where I thought I had seen Jolene, there was now only darkness."<br />Darwin left his older daughter's room convinced that his eyes had been deceived by patterns of light and shadow. He had been working too hard, staying up too late, and suffering from sleep deprivation--all of which had caused him to see things that weren't there.<br />The trouble was, the "things" really were there.<br />The slumber party seance quickly became a psychic disaster. Twelve-year-old Joy begged to be included, and Michaela agreed, stating that a child's openness toward such matters could very likely provide the circle with greater energy.<br />At the stroke of midnight, they began their attempts to contact the entity that had attached itself to Jolene during her out-of-body projection. All the girls knew from watching various television programs and reading certain books on the occult that midnight was the "witching hour," the time when doorways to the unknown opened a bit wider.<br />At first the planchette under the girls' fingertips moved smoothly from letter to letter on the Ouija board, blithely spelling out a quaint tale of a young seamtress named Suzette who had been killed by runaway horses in the streets of their city in the 1880s. Her spirit had remained earthbound for many years, pining for her love, Raymond, who remained devoted to her memory.<br />Just as the five girls were growing teary-eyed over the sad tale of a young woman deprived of life and love by a cruel accident, the board suddenly began to spell out lewd descriptions of Suzette's and Raymond's sexual techniques. At once repulsed and fascinated, the girls were soon learning how the spirit of Suzette had continued to make love to Raymond from beyond the grave--and how they, too, could receive passionate lovers from the Other Side.<br />Heather moved away from the board and began to make strange noises as she dropped to the floor and started to twitch spasmodically. When Jolene and Michaela knelt beside her to see what was wrong, Heather sat up with a leering smile and greeted them with a string of obscenities. Later, the other four girls would all swear that Heather's face was changed, altered into the features of a profane stranger.<br />Heather put her arms around little Joy and tried to kiss her. Jolene stepped in and pulled her away from her sister. Melanie screamed that she could see the image of a horrible, ugly woman superimposed over Heather's face and body. Michaela gasped that she, too, could see the wretched hag.<br />"Begone, evil demon!" Melanie shouted, holding one of her occult charms at arm's length before her. "Begone and leave us alone!"<br />Heather snarled and reached out for Melanie, seizing her by the throat, seemingly intent upon strangling her.<br />When Darwin and Aileen finally pushed open the door to their daughter's bedroom to see what was going on in there, Joy, Jolene, and Michaela were screaming hysterically and trying to pull Heather off Melanie.<br />Dawin immediately interpreted the scene as a bunch of teenagers' squabble over hairstyles, boys, rock stars, or lord-knows-what, so he insisted on driving Heather, Melanie, and Michaela home at once. It was when the always well-mannered and polite Heather spat in his face and swore at him in a hoarse, croaking voice that he knew that something was very wrong.<br />Once again--sadly a bit late in the course of events--Jolene suggested that they all join hands and pray for Heather to return to them as she was. As Jolene began the prayer, Heather fell to her knees and began to make growling and hissing sounds. Joy screamed in horror, and Aileen carried her out of the bedroom.<br />A few minutes after the prayer was concluded, Heather blinked her wide hazel eyes at her friends and Darwin, who stood ringed around her. She appeared to have no memory of the bizarre performance that had brought the slumber party experiment to a screeching halt.<br />Darwin changed his mind about taking Heather, Melanie, and Michaela home at two o'clock in the morning. Later, he admitted to me that he was embarrassed about the incident and worried about what the parents of the girls would say if they were awakened in the middle of the night to be informed that unsupervised activities at the K household had driven the girls into hysterics.<br />When the girls arose the next morning about ten o'clock and had some breakfast, everything seemed back to normal. But after her friends had gone home, the K's had a lengthy discussion with Jolene and decided to call me for advice in acquiring some preventionary measures against a repetition of such an event. Little Joy had slept between her parents until morning, crying, shuddering, and lapsing into nightmares that caused her to wake up screaming. Neither Darwin nor Aileen were eager to endure a repeat performance of a teenage activity that would traumatize their twelve-year-old and transform Jolene's normally courteous friends into crude, shrieking wackos.<br />When I arrived at the K's home on Sunday evening, I was informed that Joy was at a friend's house so we could all speak frankly about the frightening occurrence on Friday evening. After only a few minutes of conversation in the K's' living room, I soon determined that neither Darwin nor Aileen were aware of their daughter's experiments with the Ouija board.<br />As Jolene began to feel more comfortable with me and with her parents' disapproving, but supportive, attitude toward her adventures in the occult, she told of the dark entity that had apparently attached itself to her after one of her Ouija board sessions.<br />"Such an entity is what I have come to call a spirit parasite," I said. "They may once have been humans and wish once more to occupy a physical body or they may be regarded as the classic demons, who wish to invade and control a fleshly vehicle to experience human passions and emotions. Generally, these parasites of the soul cannot achieve power over humans unless they are somehow invited into the person's private space--or unless they are attracted to a human aura by that person's negativity or vulnerability. Unless you have made your prayer for protection and alerted your spirit guide, you are extremely vulnerable during a conscious out-of-body projection."<br />Jolene lowered her eyes and seemed to be studying my comments. "I guess I just thought that angels and guides were out there always looking after me."<br />"They are," I agreed. "But remember that there are always negative entities looking out for vulnerable humans."<br />I went on to say that humans are most susceptible to spirit invasion when they are abusing alcohol or drugs and have lowered their normal boundaries of self-control. Spirit parasites, eager to experience the passions of the flesh, may enter the human vehicle at that time and encourage the possessed human to indulgence in all sorts of excesses of sex, gluttony, greed, and ego aggrandizement.<br />"So many beginning students of metaphysics make the mistake of assuming that their good intentions protect them when they enter trance or deep meditative states," I continued. "These individuals may find themselves particularly beset by spirit parasites because they are seeking to follow the path of Light. They present a challenge to negative entities. And when these beings from the darkside find a chink in their armor--such as inadequate spiritual preparation--they are quick to zero in on those students too impatient to take the time to pray or to surround themselves with the Light of protection."<br />Darwin wondered what it was that he had seen in the hallway and in Jolene's room on Wednesday night.<br />"Jolene told us how she felt as though another being was somehow influencing her thoughts and causing her to fantasize sexual images regarding her friends and classmates," I said. "Later, as she stared into the mirror, a kind of dual consciousness enabled her to perceive the thoughts of the spirit parasite as it admired the body in which it found itself. Still later, she saw the other face in the mirror, the face that resembled her own, yet was also reflective of the negative entity. It was that awful face that caused her to pray for the creature to leave her."<br />I went on to explain that Jolene's prayers had probably been quite effective in discouraging the spirit parasite from making long range plans about inhabiting the teenager's body. If Jolene had continued to draw upon the Light, her spirit guardians would probably have been able to banish the negative entity within just a few more days. On Wednesday night, however, the spirit parasite was still able to draw energy from Jolene, and it was able to externalize itself while she slept.<br />"The other entity that you saw hovering near Jolene's bed," I told Darwin, "the one that seemed to be glowing, was quite likely her guardian angel or spirit guide. A spiritual balance would probably been achieved very shortly if Jolene had been talked into that séance with the Ouija board. The combined energies of all those young women--especially young women open to communication with the Other Side--brought the spirit parasite renewed strength. Thank heaven, Jolene conducted that prayer circle and performed a kind of impromptu exorcism."<br />Darwin and Aileen asked me if I believed that the entity had left their home. I redirected the question to Jolene, asking her if she still sensed the spiritual interloper around her.<br />"I...I really don't think so," she answered after a moment of thought. "And I have been praying my knees off ever since Friday night!"<br />I shared the following prayer with Jolene if she should ever be aware of the return of the spirit parasite: "Beloved Angel Guide, charge me with your great strength. Charge me with your light and your love. Charge my mental, physical, and spiritual selves with strength and energy. Keep me ever sensitive to your guidance and your direction and banish all evil and negativity from my presence."<br />"And what about us?" Aileen wanted to know. "What if we should sense that evil presence anywhere in our home?"<br />If any of them should still sense the negative energy of a spirit parasite or any discordant entity, I advised them to visualize their spirit guardian around them moving a soft, violet heavenly light over their physical bodies. Then say inwardly to the spirit guide: "Beloved spirit guide, angelic guardian, activate the God-spark within me and assist me in calling upon the highest of energies. Permit the heavenly Light to move around and through me. Keep this Holy Light bright around and within me and with the power of the Father-Mother-Creator Spirit banish all negative and chaotic energies from my presence."<br />When I left the Kozisek's residence that evening, I felt confident that a spiritual balance had been reinstated both in their home and in their daughter's personal province of psychic development. And I had Jolene's promise that she would not continue her experiments in any facet of the paranormal until she had undergone a process of disciplined study that would enable her more accurately to discern between the various shadowy residents of the world of the supernatural.Mark Dixonnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260629258516670212.post-18748078233192777332007-08-01T13:34:00.000-04:002007-08-01T13:38:02.863-04:00The Attempted AbductionHelen screamed and struggled wildly, as she felt someone grab her arm. She opened her eyes, expecting to see what she feared the most, an alien. Instead, the man who had slammed the door of the church in her face was dragging her into the building for all he was worth. He looked terrified. The UFO was directly over the small church, flooding it in a beam of blinding white light. Nearby, trees swayed crazily, as if they were in a windstorm, and bits of litter, dust, and dead leaves swirled like snowflakes in a blizzard. Helen’s hair flew in all directions and her clothes flapped on her body. “Oh thank you…thank you so much,” she sobbed, as the man slammed the door and fumbled with the lock. He pulled Helen, now on her feet, toward the interior of the church and stopped when they reached the hand-carved wooden pulpit. He finally managed to speak. “What is that….out there?” “What does it look like to you?” Helen blurted back at him. “A flying…saucer,” he said. “I never believed in them.” Helen looked at his shaking hands, then pointed to a row of dark, stained-glass windows, which lit up as if they had spotlights set behind them. She screamed, “Look, they’re going to come in.” “Oh my,” the man exhaled slowly. Helen’s body trembled, “They’re after me…not you,” she said. “What are they?” he asked. Helen shook her head, wrapped her arms around herself, and began to cry. Two of the stained-glass windows exploded inward, spraying the floor with shards of colored glass. Helen screamed and dived under the pew next to her. The man stepped back from the broken window as a shaft of brilliant light poured in the opening, illuminating the interior of the church. The entire building trembled, as if were in the epicenter of an earthquake. “What’s happening?” the man shouted. “What’s going on?” “Make it go away,” Helen screamed. She crawled further under the pew. The old man dropped to his knees, shouting, “This building is over two hundred years old, it can’t take this. We’ve got to get out of here before it falls on us.” He reached out to her. “No,” she cried, moving away from him. A horrible, groaning sound came from the front doors. “The doors sound like they’re breaking apart!” the old man shouted. He fell to the floor, and covered his head with his hands. The groaning grew louder, and Helen heard the tearing of wood. The doors came apart, and panels, styles, and rails flew into the church, crashing against the pulpit, knocking it over. It went end over end, splitting in two as it crashed against the back wall. “Do something,” she moaned. Then she noticed that something had changed in him. He seemed to be no longer afraid. Where moments before there had been only fear, and uncertainty, now he looked determined. Helen watched as he straightened himself to his full height and turned toward the front door. “What are you doing?” Helen screamed at him. “Fighting what I’ve fought before,” he said. In a loud voice, he cried out. “His faithfulness will be your shield, and rampart. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.” He paused for a moment, then lifted his hands defiantly and began again, more boldly then before. “Then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you To guard you in all your ways. “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me. And I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. Helen strained to hear what he said. In spite of the turmoil and deafening wind, caught she snatches of what the old man said. “Help your servant now…the forces of darkness…angels about us…break the hand of the enemy…Help us, Lord Jesus.” Helen moved closer to the old man from under the pew. “Isn’t that what the man claimed on TV,” she thought, remembering the show she had seen. The wind began to die down, and the shaking of the building subsided. Helen crawled out. “Is it going?” she asked. Then, as if someone had pulled the plug, the blinding light pouring in from the empty window frames and doorway was extinguished. Her body trembled uncontrollably as she listened for any sound that would indicate their return. She slowly got to her feet. “They’re gone,” she whispered. “They’re really gone.” She was amazed that it was over. The old man took a deep breath and collapsed on the pew she had been hiding under. He raised a finger and pointed at the remains of a cross that still hung from the ceiling over where the pulpit had been. Her eyes followed, and it dawned on her that a force greater than that of the aliens had been called upon and it had responded. She wiped a tear that streaked down her cheek, then muttered softly, “Whoever you are…thank you.”Mark Dixonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260629258516670212.post-13556865024092044782007-07-18T16:56:00.000-04:002007-07-18T16:58:04.804-04:00Universal LawThere is a tide in the affairs of man, when taken at its crest, leads on to fortune. I personally believe that, at least subconsciously, there is an awareness of the gearbox or the timing involving man and our closest satellite, the Moon.<br />Every day that God has created sees the procession of stars across the vault of the sky; they have followed the same path through the heavens, tracing the immutability of the cosmos and its constellations, which have spoken to the wise since the beginning of time. This work will explain in detail the subtle energy produced by the Moon's passage through the twelve houses and signs of the Zodiac. These houses govern the twelve facets of our life, and the rhythms of our cycles, our emotions, finances, consciousness, home, children, career, friends, wishes, fears, love, personality and all that goes to make up our sorrows and joys. Depending on the mystical rhythm of the Moon and her relationship harmonious or discordant to the constellations and houses of the sky over which they rule, she will govern our human activity and give birth to our vices and virtues. The infinite and concealed dance of the Moon through the Zodiac is far from affecting only you, but all of us. You are a "microcosm" or a child of the Universe and there is reason for you to be. You are a part of this incredible physical and spiritual structure called a "macrocosm."<br />Sir Isaac Newton wrote "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." We are what we think, having become what we thought. This statement emphasizes that for every thought or action there will be an effect. This is what I call the "Universal Law," the causes and effects of the yin and yang recognized as the law of KARMA. The Moon is, by herself quite responsible for much of our and the world's fate. By the tracking of the Universal Law and using Starguide, you will be allowed to see this lunar impact and reaction every day of your life. Obviously, the waxing and waning periods of our closest satellite will produce the daily process of tides. Thusly, women will have a spiritual and physical manifestation (menstruation), and all of us will be responding subconsciously to the words "lunatic/moody." Without opposite forces at work there would be no reaction thus any life possible on both the spiritual and physical plane. To my knowledge, our so-called "dead" satellite is very much alive, and much more than a rock hanging above our heads. She is a vital part of a Divine celestial design; she is the beating heart of the earth. Vigilantly observing her whereabouts will aid understanding the real psychology of man.<br />I always said, The Moon is a little more than a dead rock hanging above our head just for the sake of beauty. I just hope that, in the future, the psychology field would also invest a little more and do some research on the subtle forces generated by the moon and how, her passage through the Zodiac really affects the human psyche.<br />For instance, a soul born with a feminine moon in a water sign such as Pisces will be extremely susceptible to the moon fluctuations. Especially if the soul inherited a negative moon sitting right on the Dragons Tail and is not aware of it. Or in some case the moon is badly aspected by Saturn, the Lord of depression. Now; the unaware psychiatrist or psychologist does not know about the 28 days cycle of the moon and its direct impact on his patients psyche. Hence, he or she will be classify as a manic depressive disorder and comes once a month (victimized by the waning moon) in need of more destructive anti depressants. Chances are Neptune now hooks the soul and will soon become addicted to the prescription drug. Thus the oblivious doctor will use the manic depressive and empower the powerful and expansive insurance and drug industry. In the name of ignorance, slowly but surely the patient loses herself in the quick sands of Neptune while the doctor, the insurance and the pharmaceutical industry benefits. This is happening now to millions of children and yours could be the next victim unless we stop this nightmare soon.<br />The Changing face of the Moon was revered and understood by the ancients as an aspect of the feminine and idolized as the Lady of the Night who ruled over fertility and magic. Your awareness of the Moon's passage through the Zodiac will enable you to discover a basic structure of energy patterns that underlies the changes and circumstances of your life. This is, indeed, the purpose of a good astrologer, and his main objective is to reveal an order or meaning beneath or within what often appears to be a random or chaotic situation. The Moon's passage through the housing system is one expression of the archetypal structure we call a cycle. While many of the formally educated scientists have lost their cosmic consciousness, it has still remained hidden within astrological values and basic astrological foundations. BY visiting my site www/drturi.com and read both your free daily or monthly forecast you will soon find the incredible values of predictive astrology when practiced properly.<br />All of the signs of the Zodiac, the twelve houses, and the numerous astrological aspects are based upon God's higher order in the established, interstellar cycle. Their subtle meanings are derived from a particular place or function to each other, and all operate within the ordered cycle as a whole. Our lives unfold according to our specific cyclic pattern, interacting with the Universal cycle. Discerning the Universal Mind at work is difficult; those gifted at birth will naturally understand the cosmic mind, using their inborn, intuition and objective mental tools. However, when properly educated, anyone can learn to further his cosmic consciousness and realize his close relationship with God and the Universe. It often starts with a willingness to expand the consciousness, and the simple realization that what cannot be seen or touched doesn't mean it is non-existent. That's what makes a real scientist and a true intelligent person is respecting the essence of the word investigation! Sadly enough, the majority of these educated souls fears the ridicule and may also take the risk of experiencing abandonment by their peers or churches. Those methodical scholars will never be able to penetrate the spiritual domain of the stars in my research. Those scholastically oriented souls are plagued at birth with a limited view and conception of the unknown. Usually a weak planet Mercury (the mind), a phlegmatic Uranus (inquiry) in an unassuming earth sign (rationale) becomes the logical reason for the inability to reach a higher level of understanding. The mind resembles a nutshell that inherited a common astrological formation and deprives the soul to experience a highly cosmic reality. To them, the moon is nothing else than a dead satellite orbiting around the earth with no more purpose than to produce the daily tides.<br />The obvious structure of the Moon's cycle is derived from the fact that it consists of a beginning, middle and an end. Thus, the monthly lunar cycle suggests by observation that it is divided into two halves. During the first half, the movement is outward, as our close satellite travels away from the area of space occupied by the Sun. As this happens, the powerful light of the Sun increases, "waxing" (positive) on the white face of the Moon. The turning point is symbolized by the Full Moon; it reverses motion. The Moon begins to approach the Sun as the reflected light on its surface "wanes" (negative), until they meet again at the New Moon (new start). Halfway between the New Moon and the Full Moon, we notice another important division point where light and darkness are equal on the moon's surface. At the first waxing quarter, the light is increasing, while at the last waning quarter, it is decreasing. These simple astronomical observations can only provide the scientist's mind with knowledge for interpreting the physical lunar cycle's phase. Now if the positive cannot be without the negative, and knowing that it takes two for anything to be, then the scientist should be able to "investigate" the intuitional domain. There is so much behind this "lunar manifestation," I began to feed my own critical observations.<br />As a child, I always thought of the moon to be something much more than a frigid white globe orbiting around the earth. Many times in the darkness of the night, I found myself staring at her, wondering about her hidden power. She is the swiftest of the planets, passing through the 12 signs of the zodiac in about 28 days. I knew that sooner or later, I was to uncover her subtle way and find some of the answers. To me, all those stars in the night sky, shining above my head, were more than beautiful luminaries to light the way in the dark of the night. It does, however, take more than the five regular senses to tap into her subtle manifestation upon our psyche and life in general. Nothing happens randomly in the universe, and the timely return in full each month surely indicates an ultimate order. Month after month, I patiently watched her becoming New and Full, and I learned my first and one of the most important lessons in metaphysics: "The undiluted truth is not to be found inside my limited world, but in others and the Universal mind."<br />Being so close to the earth, the Moon's magnetic pull (gravitational force) is so great, that she is solely responsible for the daily process of the tides. Therefore, curiosity, observation and comparison became the key elements to promote my cosmic consciousness. As I met her, becoming full and new, month after month, I slowly began to understand her powers. By constantly watching my environment, friends and family members, she began to speak about her clearly visible impact and astute control over man's psyche. As the years went by, I realized her uncompromising role over the sea, and I became more aware of her powerful impact on our daily affairs. I made notes day after day, week after week and month after month, realizing the consequences of ignoring or adapting to her passage through the twelve signs of the Zodiac. Later on, I learned that the farmers of the past followed her fluctuations for the betterment of their crops.<br />Then I carefully put my observations to test in my life and the lives of those around me. I did not take long to realize that by respecting the Universal Law, my life became much more productive. Her positive and negative effect on man's emotions, actions and reactions became so obvious to me that I decided to make a full-time job telling others about her. As I watched the news in times of a full Moon, I understood why people became destructive, "lunatic," eccentric, moody and psychopathic. I then named it the Uncompromising Universal Law. Since then, as a professional Divine Astrologer, wherever I am needed, I am teaching the value of this simple and valuable knowledge.<br />When you first learned how to drive a car, you were carefully introduced to the rules of the road. You learned that you must stop at a red light or follow a road sign, as your very life depends on your doing so. These are the codes that you have learned, and they must be respected anywhere you happen to be in the world. Following established rules will take you safely wherever you have to go. Sadly enough, too many people do not respect these rules, and innocent people have died accidentally. Awareness, knowledge and respect of these rules are desperately needed. However, the spiritual rules established by God, written in the constellations, have been misplaced. Only a minority is aware of the impact produced by the moon, and the rest, the majority of us are completely ignorant of these Divine rules. The result is seen during a Full Moon and each time the moon is crossing a destructive sign. This lack of awareness turns into a formidable chaos, producing despair, drug addiction, depression, violence, criminal behavior . . . and the list goes on and on. Know that ignoring either the physical or spiritual rules will lead any one of us to pay a heavy penalty.<br />So-called "holy wars" have plagued man all through the ages. Ignorance and fear cast aside the real Universal message. To my mind, the millions of deaths produced by continuous religious wars all around the world were a good example of the destructive power of fanaticism. I realized that everyone's relationship to God or many gods was deeply personal and that no two people feel the same way about it. My great mother taught me that God is love, beauty, education, responsibility and knowledge, a belief I have steadfastly clung to. I have noticed the dualistic nature of life, man/woman, front/back, up/down, black/white, yin/yang, positive/negative, the ultimate law of opposition. I soon began to realize that nothing would exist without its counterpart, and this Law of opposition was much too obvious to be challenged or ignored. I began to wonder if God would be without the Devil. One month is made up of two two-week periods, one year of two six-month periods. From the New Moon (black dot on your calendar) to the Full moon (a circle on your calendar), the light is green.<br />Those two weeks are called "the waxing time." Then when you see her full, white and round, the light is amber. Those two weeks are called "the waning time." As she starts her positive waxing time, you should plant your seeds for life. Go out, meet new people, socialize, get engaged, get married, buy a new car, go shopping, sign important contracts, travel, visit family members and generally promote all you can during this positive trend. My Moon Power Starguide has all the New and Full Moons available for entire year. Also, Starguide tells you when and in what sign the New Moon or the Full Moon will mature. You can use this knowledge to master the outcomes of all your endeavors. Initiate ideas or projects as she climbs happily in the heavens. Then when she finally becomes full, be aware of the approaching "yellow light," as these signals shows a time to slow down and reflect. Use your will to fight depression, clean your house, prepare your next move, write letters but don't send them just yet.<br />Observe and listen to all the people around you. Many will suffer the waning Moon's power and will become negative, moody and lunatic. Watch the news and see for yourself the dramatic differences in the two periods. However, good things can happen then. This means, officially, that somehow you started "that" situation during her waxing, positive time, and you are now being paid off. Bad things can also happen to you when the Moon is supposedly positive. It might only be a tap on your hand, compared to what you could really experience for yourself in the future. Keep in mind that you have been going through your life not knowing not using the Universal Law. You did not interact with the Moon's fluctuations (the gearbox of our system) and many gears (your experiences) have broken down. Apply your knowledge right away and take the time to invest in your understanding of Astrology (the dynamics of our Universe).<br />The Universal Clock also commands womens menstruations, and both the Moon and women share the same twenty-eight-day time period. Work non-stop around the Moon's passage throughout every sign of the Zodiac, and then her deepest secrets will by yours. As she travels through the belt of the Zodiac, she will be residing between two and three days in one sign, she will melt your emotions with the energies (positive or negative) found in that specific astrological sign. Never forget that an ultimate higher order has been established, and the essence of our emotional life is within. Learning and adapting to the Moon's power will help you to understand what it really means to be human. This lunar consciousness will lead you towards the understanding of your own strengths, and the ability to use them to further your life, while minimizing your weakness day by day!<br />Some people often tell me, "But Dr. Turi, I cannot leave my life this way. New Moon or Full Moon, I have business to take care of!" Well, I understand the dilemma, but to me it sounds like, "Dr. Turi, the light is red, my car is stopped at the light, but I can't stand still any longer here because I am going to be late for my appointment." Go ahead! You see, you came and asked me for spiritual rules; I gave them to you, now you have to deal with them. You took the chance and were curious enough to "ask"; now that you receive the "discipline," its pretty much up to you to heed them or not. The world is not necessarily ready, willing and unenlightened pertaining to this "lunar" code, you are! The idea is to plan well ahead of time and synchronize with the universal law to plan all your important endeavors. It is as simple as that. Since the dawn of time, the Creator has shown his truth to the humble, a truth that is hidden from the vain blinded by worldly pleasures, but which is written in the skies, which nightly speaks of the glory of God.Mark Dixonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260629258516670212.post-85939918225793814562007-07-18T11:39:00.000-04:002007-07-18T11:42:29.444-04:00Time TravelIn H.G. Wells' novel, The Time Machine, our protagonist jumped into a special chair with blinking lights, spun a few dials, and found himself catapulted several hundred thousand years into the future, where England has long disappeared and is now inhabited by strange creatures called the Morlocks and Eloi. That may have made great fiction, but physicists have always scoffed at the idea of time travel, considering it to be the realm of cranks, mystics, and charlatans, and with good reason.<br />However, rather remarkable advances in quantum gravity are reviving the theory; it has now become fair game for theoretical physicists writing in the pages of Physical Review magazine. One stubborn problem with time travel is that it is riddled with several types of paradoxes. For example, there is the paradox of the man with no parents, i.e. what happens when you go back in time and kill your parents before you are born? Question: if your parents died before you were born, then how could you have been born to kill them in the first place?<br />There is also the paradox of the man with no past. For example, let's say that a young inventor is trying futilely to build a time machine in his garage. Suddenly, an elderly man appears from nowhere and gives the youth the secret of building a time machine. The young man then becomes enormously rich playing the stock market, race tracks, and sporting events because he knows the future. Then, as an old man, he decides to make his final trip back to the past and give the secret of time travel to his youthful self. Question: where did the idea of the time machine come from?<br />There is also the paradox of the man who is own mother (my apologies to Heinlein.) “Jane” is left at an orphanage as a foundling. When “Jane” is a teenager, she falls in love with a drifter, who abandons her but leaves her pregnant. Then disaster strikes. She almost dies giving birth to a baby girl, who is then mysteriously kidnapped. The doctors find that Jane is bleeding badly, but, oddly enough, has both sex organs. So, to save her life, the doctors convert “Jane” to “Jim.”<br />“Jim” subsequently becomes a roaring drunk, until he meets a friendly bartender (actually a time traveler in disguise) who wisks “Jim” back way into the past. “Jim” meets a beautiful teenage girl, accidentally gets her pregnant with a baby girl. Out of guilt, he kidnaps the baby girl and drops her off at the orphanage. Later, “Jim” joins the time travelers corps, leads a distinguished life, and has one last dream: to disguise himself as a bartender to meet a certain drunk named “Jim” in the past. Question: who is “Jane's” mother, father, brother, sister, grand- father, grandmother, and grandchild?<br />Not surprisingly, time travel has always been considered impossible. After all, Newton believed that time was like an arrow; once fired, it soared in a straight, undeviating line. One second on the earth was one second on Mars. Clocks scattered throughout the universe beat at the same rate. Einstein gave us a much more radical picture. According to Einstein, time was more like a river, which meandered around stars and galaxies, speeding up and slowing down as it passed around massive bodies. One second on the earth was Not one second on Mars. Clocks scattered throughout the universe beat to their own distant drummer.<br />However, before Einstein died, he was faced with an embarrassing problem. Einstein's neighbor at Princeton, Kurt Goedel, perhaps the greatest mathematical logician of the past 500 years, found a new solution to Einstein's own equations which allowed for time travel! The “river of time” now had whirlpools in which time could wrap itself into a circle. Goedel's solution was quite ingenious: it postulated a universe filled with a rotating fluid. Anyone walking along the direction of rotation would find themselves back at the starting point, but backwards in time!<br />In his memoirs, Einstein wrote that he was disturbed that his equations contained solutions that allowed for time travel. But he finally concluded: the universe does not rotate, it ex- pands (i.e. as in the Big Bang theory) and hence Goedel's solution could be thrown out for “physical reasons.” (Apparently, if the Big Bang was rotating, then time travel would be possible throughout the universe!)<br />Then in 1963, Roy Kerr, a New Zealand mathematician, found a solution of Einstein's equations for a rotating black hole, which had bizarre properties. The black hole would not collapse to a point (as previously thought) but into a spinning ring (of neutrons). The ring would be circulating so rapidly that centrifugal force would keep the ring from collapsing under gravity. The ring, in turn, acts like the Looking Glass of Alice. Anyone walking through the ring would not die, but could pass through the ring into an alternate universe. Since then, hundreds of other “wormhole” solutions have been found to Einstein's equations. These wormholes connect not only two regions of space (hence the name) but also two regions of time as well. In principle, they can be used as time machines.<br />Recently, attempts to add the quantum theory to gravity (and hence create a “theory of everything”) have given us some insight into the paradox problem. In the quantum theory, we can have multiple states of any object. For example, an electron can exist simultaneously in different orbits (a fact which is responsible for giving us the laws of chemistry). Similarly, Schrodinger's famous cat can exist simultaneously in two possible states: dead and alive. So by going back in time and altering the past, we merely create a parallel universe. So we are changing someone ELSE's past by saving, say, Abraham Lincoln from being assassinated at the Ford Theater, but our Lincoln is still dead. In this way, the river of time forks into two separate rivers. But does this mean that we will be able to jump into H.G. Wells' machine, spin a dial, and soar several hundred thousand years into England's future? No. There are a number of difficult hurdles to overcome.<br />First, the main problem is one of energy. In the same way that a car needs gasoline, a time machine needs to have fabulous amounts of energy. One either has to harness the power of a star, or to find something called “exotic” matter (which falls up, rather than down) or find a source of negative energy. (Physicists once thought that negative energy was impossible. But tiny amounts of negative energy have been experimentally verified for something called the Casimir effect, i.e. the energy created by two parallel plates). All of these are exceedingly difficult to obtain in large quantities, at least for several more centuries!<br />Then there is the problem of stability. The Kerr black hole, for example, may be unstable if one falls through it. Similarly, quantum effects may build up and destroy the wormhole before you enter it. Unfortunately, our mathematics is not powerful enough to answer the question of stability because you need a “theory of everything” which combines both quantum forces and gravity. At present, superstring theory is the leading candidate for such a theory (in fact, it is the ONLY candidate; it really has no rivals at all). But superstring theory, which happens to be my specialty, is still to difficult to solve completely. The theory is well-defined, but no one on earth is smart enough to solve it.<br />Interestingly enough, Stephen Hawking once opposed the idea of time travel. He even claimed he had “empirical” evidence against it. If time travel existed, he said, then we would have been visited by tourists from the future. Since we see no tourists from the future, ergo: time travel is not possible. Because of the enormous amount of work done by theoretical physicists within the last 5 years or so, Hawking has since changed his mind, and now believes that time travel is possible (although not necessarily practical). (Furthermore, perhaps we are simply not very interesting to these tourists from the future. Anyone who can harness the power of a star would consider us to be very primitive. Imagine your friends coming across an ant hill. Would they bend down to the ants and give them trinkets, books, medicine, and power? Or would some of your friends have the strange urge to step on a few of them?)<br />In conclusion, don't turn someone away who knocks at your door one day and claims to be your future great-great-great grandchild. They may be right.Mark Dixonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260629258516670212.post-25316231700085140082007-07-12T10:19:00.000-04:002007-07-12T10:23:32.310-04:00An Open MindThere are two kinds of minds. One is an open mind. Another is a closed mind. A closed mind says, “This is how it is, I know it, and that is it.” A closed mind gets hardened. An open mind says, “Maybe, perhaps. I do not know.” Whenever you seem to understand a situation and you label it, “I know this is how it is,” that is the beginning of your problem. Problems always arise from thinking you know, but not knowing. If you do not know, your mind is open, you say, “Oh, maybe, something, perhaps, I don’t know.” You wait. You cannot label something when you say you do not know.<br /> Whenever you think an injustice has been made to you, or whenever you think you are suffering, or you think you are a victim, this all falls under the category of “I know it. This is how things are.” Whenever we attach a label “not good,” it comes from knowledge. Suffering is a product of limited knowledge. A question is a sign of limited knowledge. When there is amazement—patience, joy, you are in a state of “I don’t know,” life shifts from the limited “I know,” to a state of all possibilities.<br /> Thinking you know the world is the biggest problem. This is not just one world. There are many layers in this world. When you are upset, you are upset for a reason. There is some other string that is being pulled. When your mind is open for all possibilities and an event happens, there could be many possibilities for that event to be that way. The possibilities are not just in the gross field of existence, there could be some other causes which are more subtle.<br /> Suppose you come home and find your roommate has made a big mess in your apartment. You start feeling very irritated. You think the reason, the cause for your anger, is because of your roommate and the mess, but there could be something more going on, something happening in the subtle space. Perhaps there has been some anger that created vibrations in that space. At that moment, something else is in the air, but you could only see that person creating a mess around you, and you attribute all your anger to that person. This is what limited knowledge does.<br /> When we attach the emotions to individuals, the cycle continues and you will never be free from that. There is a step we can take to free ourselves of this cycle. First, detach the emotion from the person and the event to the space or time. This is the science called astrology. Astrology is the knowledge of oneness of the universe.<br /> If a pin is pricked into your hand, your whole body, everything in the body knows it, feels it, right? Just one pin prick in your hand is felt by the entire system. Every cell is connected with the whole of you. In the same way, everybody is connected to the whole entirety of creation, and to everyone else. At a very subtle level there is only one life in this universe. Though it appears to be many on the gross level, when you go deeper and deeper there is only one existence, one divine.<br /> The wise never label individuals, for in the wise eye, individual existence ceases. Yes, on one level there is all dealings, individuals, everybody is different, they’re young, old, intelligent, wise and dull and all types. On one level we have different types, but on a deeper level there is only you. Only you and nothing else.<br /> You are never given a problem that you cannot handle. Every problem that comes in front of you is to make you realize the abilities you have, how much more you can bring out of yourself. How much more skill, talent, joy that you can bring forth. This is what shows. Problems make our mind, our intelligence function. When do we really need intelligence? When there is a problem. If there were no problems, we could be like cows. Cows have no problems. They eat the grass, and drink water, and sleep. Like that, if your life is so smooth, without anything challenging you, you will just eat, and sleep, and become duller and duller. The Divine has given you such a brain to use to be alert, and every problem is there to make use of this brain.<br /> Instead we do the reverse. Either we don’t use this brain, and get into more complications, or we use our brain to get more complications rather than solving them! If we have a problem, instead of looking at the solution, we keep looking how big the problem can be, or what worse can happen. Do not return this brain back to God unused.<br /> What do you consider failure? Often what you consider as failure, a little later on turns out to be success. As a child you wanted to be a truck driver. When you grew up, you were forced to become a doctor and then you realized this was a good choice. Look back and see the situations that appeared to be failures was due to a short-sighted vision. In the long run, every failure has contributed to your growth, or made you stronger and more centered. Every failure has contributed in a very positive manner somewhere deep inside you. It’s very interesting. You have to look at the situation through a different eye.<br /> Though there is only one sun, this sun can enter any number of houses in the town. Can you say, “Because the sun has come through this window to this house, how can it be in the next house?” This is the logic of a small mind. There is a natural desire in you to be someone special. Each one wants to be someone special, and closer. I am telling you, you are already! You are very special, very unique, and very dear, irrespective of what you do, and where you are. It doesn’t matter.Mark Dixonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260629258516670212.post-32012882557740817192007-07-10T16:31:00.000-04:002007-07-11T09:14:37.117-04:00VibrationsHow do you know when you are a vibrational match to that which you desire?<br />The short answer to your question about vibrational match can be summed up in the question -- "how do you feel"? Jesus talked about "vibrational match" when he said, "fear ye not evil", "turn the other cheek", "do not talk about this to anyone", "be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind", and "as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he".<br />You will know you are a vibrational match when your dominant feeling is positive. Your attraction meter (which registers your vibration) is your feelings. Your inner guide speaks to you through your feelings and is saying when you feel positive - "hey, keep going - you're in alignment with what you want" and when you feel negative your guide is saying - "hey, stop, you're NOT in alignment with what you want". When you feel predominately positive then you are predominately in vibrational harmony with your desires. Any slight feeling of negativity, even as slight as ennui, lethargy, or resignation, is your signal that if you keep thinking the thoughts you're presently thinking you'll create something out of harmony with what you really want.<br />For example, let's say you want to attract your ideal mate. In order to become a vibrational match you would meditate on your desires for a partner, work diligently on becoming all that you want your mate to be, choose to be fulfilled and in joy in all that you do and focus on taking action both spiritually and physically to create your mate. If this were all you did, then you would be a vibrational match to your desire.<br />However, since most of us are human, we look at what we're getting and if it isn't exactly what we think we want then we reject it as a failure, a mistake or a poor joke played on us by the Universe.<br />Let me illustrate this point by borrowing a client's recent challenge.<br />Being a physically fit, totally health-conscious, energetic, youthful 55-year-old widower with a verve for life that is highly contagious, this client was experiencing "signs of land" that were either "too old because they weren't fit, healthy and energetic" or "too young because they didn't have the emotional maturity or hadn't achieved career satisfaction and stability." It was easy for him to think positively when in the throes of visualizing and affirming in meditation. However, the challenge came when the results of his efforts looked like they were too old or too young at first glance. Upon observation, the doubts would instantly impede his mind and he would begin to spiral with the negative feelings of frustration, irritation, fear, sadness, loneliness, and unworthiness.<br />These emotions are the rocket fuel that expands our manifestations. The more powerful the feeling the more power you are feeding your creations. Those negative feelings are literally our Angels tugging at us and saying, "STOP! You're focusing on what you do not want!"<br />Fortunately, since it is impossible to monitor the never-ending stream of thoughts, we have a fabulous mechanism called our feelings that let us know whether we are a vibrational match to our desires or not in any given moment. Negative feeling = negative creation. Positive feeling = positive creation.<br />The key here is to pivot from the negative thoughts to positive thoughts. This is done not by denying that you are having negative thoughts but by reaching for a thought that you can believe and a thought that feels better. Here's the process simplified: Ask, "What am I feeling?"<br />Then ask, "What is the thought that is creating this feeling?"<br />Then ask, "How can I surrender to the Divine Order and Divine timing of life now?"<br />Then finish with, "What thought feels better?"<br />If you feel negative (any shade less than positive) then ask, "What is the thought that is creating this feeling?" Once you've identified the thought, you want to do two quick things. First, surrender to the fear or the negative possibility by acknowledging the fact that the Law of Attraction is always at work and if this is the way it's going to be, then so be it - "I'll survive. Because even in death, I survive." Then finish with "What thought feels better?" and reach for a thought that feels better and that you can believe.<br />To clarify the last step in this process, if you are in the mire of negative mush then saying, "Every person I meet is totally healthy, fit, attractive, vibrantly alive, secure, stable and a match to me now", is probably TOO far out there for you to believe. However, you could easily take a smaller step and reach for a thought that helps you to feel more at peace now and then walk your thoughts up to your ideal.<br />For example in this situation, you would say, "I know that all is well now. I know the Law of Attraction is now at work in my life and in perfect timing my ideal partner will enter my life. I know that there are people out there that are a match to my desires. I know that others have found partners that were physically attractive and fit and therefore I can too. I know that people of all ages are fit. I know that others have found partners that were stable, mature and confident with their status in life and therefore I can too. I recognize that with every day and every breath, I am seeing more and more people that match my desires. I recognize and appreciate that all is well and that I am now at peace with attracting my love in perfect timing. I am grateful. I am confident. I expect my desires to be fulfilled and I intend to have a relationship with an energy-appropriate partner now! I am at peace." So be it! Amen!Mark Dixonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260629258516670212.post-28712328303088166562007-07-10T10:59:00.000-04:002007-07-10T11:20:22.189-04:00Christmas TraditionsChristmas is commonly thought of as a Christian holiday (the birth of Jesus). Many Christian beliefs and traditions were borrowed from more ancient religions and mythologies. This is well documented by authors such as Gerald Massey, Godfrey Higgins, Robert Graves, Kersey Graves and many others. The virgin birth, the incarnation of God, the sacrament, Christmas, Easter, etc. have all been adopted/stolen by Christianity as its own. It is well documented by fundamentalists (apologists) that the Christmas traditions are Pagan in origin.. This simply means that their origin comes from the traditions of the country-folk (pagan). By contrast, the Pagan origins of most of the other attributes of Christianity are vigorously denied. It is also very easy to obscure, overlook and discredit the Egyptian, Mithraic, Germanic, Norse, Celtic, Greek, Hindu and Buddhist roots by lumping all non-Christian religions together and labeling them Pagan. These are certainly not simple country-folk religions. So to just say Christmas has Pagan roots, and not go further, is glossing over what exactly those roots are, and discrediting their study as worthless. Christmas icons, traditions and stories have hidden meanings. Although not initially apparent, a more thorough investigation reveals far more symbolic content (which is decipherable) than originally suspected. At the roots of this symbolism research is information about the secrets of the mushroom, regarding its habitats, forms, uses, preparations, and effects. Shaman of Siberia and the Russian icon, St. Nicholas, both play parts in the tale of Christmas, providing clues as to where Christmas came from and why there are certain symbols associated with the holiday. It is these types of clues that will help (the questors) in the deciphering of the symbols. Siberian Shaman used/use (despite governmental oppression) the Amanita muscaria as a religious sacrament. It is used for spiritual vision, out-of-body travel into the realms of the spirits, and as a plant-spirit guide in teaching and healing. The value of the inebriant is placed highly among the commodities of the native tribesmen, fetching reindeer pelts, meats, and all manner of tradable goods in payment and barter. Interesting to note: If you aren't quick enough in the hunt, you will find only the mushroom stubs, the rest greedily gobbled up by the hungry reindeer.<br />One of the traditions, of ornamenting a tree, comes from the tradition of "The Paradise tree", a fir tree decorated with apples (representing the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden). This ‘fruit’ will be discussed later as the Amanita. During Germany's Middle Ages, a popular play, which was symbolic of the paradise story, was staged on December 24th (the religious feast day of Adam and Eve) . Two more symbolic connections with the mushroom are the candles and cookies that were also hung on the tree (candles = Christ; cookies = wafers of the Christian sacrament). This ornament is of particular interest because of its association with the fruit of the tree of knowledge and the Amanita muscaria. This indicates that there have always been people "In the Know" from time to time. According to Apocryphal texts and other older ones, the "Fruit of the Tree of Life" and the more recently added "Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge" were originally one in the same.<br />So, why do people bring Pine trees into their houses at the Winter Solstice, placing brightly colored (Red and White) packages under their boughs, as gifts to show their love for each other and as representations of the love of God and the gift of his Sons life? It is because, underneath the Pine bough is the exact location where one would find this "Most Sacred" Substance, the Amanita muscaria, in the wild (in Nature). These mushrooms grow in a symbiotic/mycorrhizal relationship with the Pine tree, which means they always grow underneath it. The symbolic placing of gifts under the tree at Christmas is a sort of proxy-present-giving action, whereby the celebrants ritually mimic the work of God/Santa/Nature, by placing under the tree a gift (actually The gift). Big clue here: Winter brings rain; rain brings mushrooms, In the mountains, at Christmas time, under the Pine trees. Then and there will you find that which unlocks the key mysteries of the Universe, through a multi-dimensionalizing of the consciousness in a way that no other known substance can. This Gnosis (joining together of your mind with the mind of the Universal Consciousness) is what the Sages, Mystics, Teachers, and Prophets were attempting to communicate through their rampant symbolism. (Had they not feared persecution, they may have spoken of it openly and directly in public documents.) All over the world, people bring Coniferous trees into their houses and place brightly colored packages underneath them. In Nature, this is where you will find the Amanita muscaria (under coniferous trees). The actual mushroom "plant" is the underground "mycelium" or "mycorrhizae", which is directly attached to the tree roots; the mushroom itself is only the fruit-body of the mycelium. The mushroom is literally the Fruit of the Tree. They grow in a mycorrhizal (not parasitic) relationship with the tree. Many people follow the tradition/custom of bringing a tree into the home and putting presents under it, yet have absolutely no idea why. Even people that think they know, usually have no knowledge of these mushroom connections. The true symbolic meaning transcends dogmatic etymological and historical evidence, by revealing itself in the totally obvious iconography and historically associated myths and traditions.<br />The ancient shamanic use of Amanita muscaria in Siberia is well documented. Despite governmental oppression against its use, there are still many who refuse to accept the authorized state religion, and continue the shamanic traditions in secret. Just as the Siberian shaman (commonly dressing in red and white) would enter through the opening in the roof of a home where a ritual was to be done, Santa Claus also arrives on the roof and enters through the chimney. Just as the shamans would gather the mushrooms in bags which they would bring with them when performing a ceremony, Santa Claus also (on the Holy Day) brings presents in a bag. The Santa Claus we see today evolved from traditions developed in Germany. It is fairly common knowledge that the Weihnachtsmann (St. Nick) was an amalgamation of older Germanic/Norse gods such as Thor, Donner, Odin and Wotan. What's missing here is just as Santa flies through the skies in his sleigh, Odin (as well as the rest) rode through the sky in his chariot, which is depicted in the stars by "The Big Dipper". The Big Dipper is the chariot of Odin & Wotan, Thor, King Arthur, and even Osiris (of Egypt). The chariot that circles the North Star in a 24 hour period is thus also known as the sleigh of Santa Claus because it circles his mythological home, the North Pole. It is no surprise that Nordic/Germanic gods have connection to mushrooms in their mythology. As Thor throws his mushroom-shaped hammer to the ground, mighty thunders and lightning cracks cause the real mushroom(s) to appear. As the horses pulling Odin through the sky in his chariot become over-exerted, their blood-mingled spit falls to the ground and causes the Amanita mushrooms to grow at those exact points. The Osiris mythology has even more to add to this. To the Egyptians; South was up (North). Osiris was the lord of the underworld, the South, (South=down) which is why he circles the sky in the furthest possible lower (southern) area. Not only did Osiris ride the sky in a chariot, but after his death Isis found that an evergreen (Cedar) had grown overnight from a dead stump to full-sized (this also relates to the Djed pillar); which was understood as a sign of Osiris' rebirth and immortality. Interestingly, the traditional birth of Osiris is the 25th of December. The 25th of December was also celebrated annually by putting presents around the Cedar tree. This tradition is at least five thousand years old. The birth of Horus to the goddess-virgin-mother, Isis, is perhaps the eldest representation of the goddess/son mythology, yet it is impossible to know this or the real age of the Astro-theological-Virgo-giving-birth-to-the-child/god/star mythology for sure. However it is the oldest source I have found; it is very old. Drying the mushrooms was/is a necessary procedure typically accomplished by stringing them up (like popcorn) and hanging them above the hearth of the fireplace. shamans and lay people alike, would gather and dry them. They gather all they can since they are a valuable commodity. Reindeer (native to Siberia) are known to be quite fond of eating these mushrooms. The mythology of flying Reindeer reflects the supposed pharmacological effects of such a meal. It is important to point out that this Christmas/Winter Solstice celebration, with all its various counterparts, transcends the world's religions. The reason that this celebration is held all over the planet in various forms may have something to do with this other commonality at which we are looking; it is certainly entwined in the symbolism.Mark Dixonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260629258516670212.post-42190224608467694622007-07-10T10:49:00.000-04:002007-07-10T10:53:58.936-04:00Santa Claus?After studying the Amanita muscaria mushroom for some twenty years, I fell into the company of some very enthusiastic folks who insisted that I commit this study to writing. It is one thing to talk about the many various religious writings which I have been looking into, and found ample mushroom symbology to present a verbal case for ethnomycological reference, but another thing entirely to compile it into book form. For one thing, in order to present a full scope of significant inter-religious connections verbally one can jump from one religious context to another, traversing a wide scope of references in several religions, weaving an overall scope of the similarities found in each. But in order to write a book on the subject I found that separating the different religious references into their respective chapters was the best way to go. So I try to limit the temptation to jump from one religion to another, and keep it to a minimum. Within the study of world religion one finds philosophical systems. These are the philosophies that the respective believer adopts as their understanding of life itself. State-ism must be considered a religion in its own right, as even those who profess no religious preference or belief adopt a philosophical view of reality based upon a state/culturally conditioned belief system. These belief systems are also based upon religious philosophies that are brought into fruition through media and popular opinion. Were the many state and religious philosophies to be based upon truth and justice the world would not have an incredible history of bloodshed, wars and oppression. Therefore, religions and state indoctrinated belief systems share commonality of basic philosophical principles, and all of them must be looked into with an objective point of view. This must be done in order to dispel falsehood. It is not difficult to see that the condition of life on our planet leaves much to be desired. Societal conditioning plays an important part in developing individual belief systems. In some ways this could be considered a good thing, but in other ways it may be intrinsically bad. The study of ethnomycology cannot simply be the study of religion and its association with mushrooms per-se' because by its very nature it must examine the philosophical principles of the religions which have an ehtnomycological connection. I need to explain this in order to set the stage for what is to come within these pages. This is not only an examination of ehtnomycological associations throughout history but is also an examination of those religions which show evidence of having ethnomycological association, yet currently deny this association due to corruption of their root principles. So this study will deal with ethnomycology as a base, but will also delve into psychology, ethnology, philology, anthropology, archaeology, sociology, art, history, religion, myth, culture, symbology, and philosophy. I will begin this book with the study of Christmas and its associated symbols and icons because after studying most of the world’s religions and their associated philosophies, I have found this to actually be a religion in its own right and quite pure philosophically. What are the origins of the Christmas traditions? Most people never think to ask this question. Those that do, find a seemingly complete dogmatic system of explanation. Then, of course, one day there is that discovery that Santa Claus does not really exist. But... Does he? Many things have been written in an attempt to trace Christmas' development. You can find people who consider themselves experts in this field, and even books on this subject. I suppose you could call the field "Santa-ology", or perhaps even "Santa-ism". Yet, long lost, deeply underlying the realms of simple tradition, are very amazing symbolic connections and origins that are either long- forgotten or were/are intentionally overlooked. The basic philosophy behind Christmas is; if you are good you will receive a present under the tree, if you are bad then you receive no present. In some cultures those who are bad even receive punishment delivered by various means and personages. This is a very simple philosophical system. Santa Claus is an all-knowing icon that reads the hearts and intentions of everyone on the planet. Each child is told the story of the round-man (who wears red and white) and his associates; reindeer, little people and Mrs. Claus. They are also told the story of a miraculous worldwide flight in a sleigh which results in presents being delivered under a tree. Yet when a child reaches the age of reasoning he is informed that this story is all a fabrication. This revelation is devastating upon the psyche of a young mind. It is also at this time that the child is often comforted, and pacified from the shock, by very strong reinforcement that the religious system which the parents or guardians profess are indeed factual. And an attempt is made to incorporate the respective religious traditions into the holiday as the REAL meaning for the celebration. There is an alternative to this cultural conditioning and shock-relief system of indoctrinations, into the realities of life, which is based upon truth and is much more interesting than even the simple traditional understandings of Christmas themselves. The key to this alternative is encoded within the icons and symbols of Christmas. To know the meanings behind the symbolism to which most people only attach dogmatic explanations, is to open the doorway to understanding the very roots of many other religions as well. Several books have been written about the Amanita muscaria mushroom. This mushroom is found growing all over the world under Pine (& other coniferous trees), Birch, and sometimes Oak. The Pine tree is one of the well-known central relics of Christmas. Under this tree is where those who are deemed good find their reward in the form of a present. A big red and white rounded mushroom grows under the very tree we are to look under on Christmas morning to find our gift. If we can find that this present does indeed exist. If we can find that reindeer are thought to be able to fly for a very good reason, and we can show that traditionally they carry people spiritually through the air in a way that defies the laws of time. And further, if we can show that the philosophical idiom "be good not bad" is really the universal truth, would we have sufficient basis for discarding the established religious dogmas which traditionally replace the Christmas tale, and instead simply expand the story to reveal the more esoteric principles upon which it is based? It is my assertion that the traditional day of reckoning wherein it is revealed; Santa Claus is not real, Reindeer do not fly, there is no present under the tree (unless placed there by a deceiver), is a dis-information campaign geared towards conditioning the young mind to be unable to comprehend the information which is presented herein. I also assert that the devastating blow of the destruction of a belief, and the associated reinforcement of "Christianity" (or other religious system) is psychologically designed to support the replacement information which is given as a comforting foundation during a time of shock and crisis, and is explained as something that will never be revealed as false (like Santa and all that fantasy). It is also my conclusion that this event subliminally plays an important role for religious systems that wish to suppress the expansion of consciousness through fear of the unknown. The psyche is scarred deeply when it is forced to deal with realizing it has accepted a falsehood as truth. And when it deals with plants and things found under trees, subliminally, one armors oneself against these concepts. There develops an unconscious fear of falling into the same trap. Of course this is also pacified through replacing the meaning of things like the pine tree. Interestingly, in some traditions the Pineal gland is thought to be the seat of the human soul. It is shaped exactly like a pinecone (hence the name Pine-al). Apparently, it is also an autonomous part of the brain, resting in the dead center, not attached to any other part of the brain; sort of a floating pinecone in the center of the human brain. Perhaps we have a lot more in common with the Pine tree than we thought. This gland, and its endogenous secretions, as well as other relevant implications, will be further discussed in a later section. But it is interesting to note; due to cultural phenomenon, the pineal gland atrophies during youth, which corresponds to this timely day of reckoning, and even begins to calcify during puberty. This atrophy/calcification causes a reduction of Pineal endogenous secretions. The Santa Claus and Christmas traditions of today have metamorphosed out of many older mythologies. The icons, symbols, and relics that have managed to survive from the "Winter Solstice" celebrations of old, have a commonality that deserves some reflection, study, and perhaps even some reverence. Understanding that these traditions are borrowed ones, is central to getting at the heart of the true meaning of Christmas.Mark Dixonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260629258516670212.post-7465807299103622212007-07-10T10:42:00.001-04:002007-07-10T11:18:28.567-04:00EthnomycologyThe Amanita muscaria mushroom can be found at the roots of most of the religious writings our planet has to offer. Yet you will find within these pages very little in way of endorsement of any particular religion. However, please bear with me when I interject my own philosophical opinions. Remember, I admit openly that I certainly do not know everything. This is the result of a serious study of the doctrinal/scriptural substance of each of the presented religions, and an exploration into the hidden symbology and meanings within them. The discovery that, although the Sacramental substance is unquestionably present, the organizations themselves have obscured the knowledge of it, was an enigma. That is, until the political nature at the roots of religion itself had been uncovered. Today's religions do not answer this important question. They explain it away as purely symbolic, or of no importance. Religion has polluted itself by denying its own source, and by removing the individual's ability to experience the effects produced by the substance that imparts Gnosis (the joining together of the consciousness with the consciousness of the Divine). By the removal of this key knowledge, religions themselves become lies; especially when the same systems inspired by Entheogens condemn their usage. In today's society it has become taboo to present the expansion of consciousness by the use of any kinds of drugs/plants in a positive light. Such is the case when one discusses government or religion (or any other societal norm) in a negative light. While I have nothing positive to say about heroin, highly refined Coca (coke, crack), or amphetamines (crank), I feel that a blanket assessment of all drugs as being dirty is not only unfair, but a classic case of dis-information. Drugs, in the psychedelic category, are commonly referred to these days (by those in the know) as "Entheogens", meaning simply; "the generation of God within"; for the experiencer, "the realization of God within ones own consciousness". The facts are that there are many plants that have been known to expand consciousness, increase awareness of self, and initiate one into the nature of spirituality. Thousands of PhD. professors all over the world (in fields such as botany, ethnobotany, entheobotany, archaeology, anthropology, philology, philosophy, psychology, as well as a plethora of other inter-related fields) have written thousands of books/papers on the investigation and study of psychedelic plants. These writings have dealt with the use of such substances by spiritual practitioners in most every religion formed on the planet. Most people are out of the loop in knowing about any of this. Throughout history, each tribe/culture has looked for leadership and insight to the local Holy-man, or otherwise known as the Shaman, Healer, Priest, Mage, Sage, Yogi, Magician. The insight these leaders possessed was largely due to their experience and understanding of pharmacopoeia (use of plants) and the insight offered by the use of these things. "Pharmacopoeia" is the root of our English "pharmacy" or "pharmacist", and has been also translated as "witchcraft". Different tribes and peoples used different Entheogens, largely determined by local availability. The social power, respect, reverence, and authority held by the "pharmacopoeia-practicing" native shaman was/is a major problem for government and religion. It is the wanton jealousy for the power and control, held by these natives, which in turn, inspired the campaign to demonize and dis-repute Shamanism and pharmacopoeia as something of the devil. The Spanish (Catholic) inquisition and witch hunts (the murdering of over eight million people, tried as witches, and the stealing of their land and other propertiesdone in the name of God by the Church-government up until the 19th century) were prime examples of this. Also related to this church jealousy and greed is the matter of an estimated twenty million indigenous Central Americans murdered (exterminated), bringing about the near extinction of the Aztec/Inca/Mayan peoples, and the all-to-similar fate of indigenous North Americans ("American Indians"). The underlying agenda is the repression of the knowledge of Entheogenic plants that, if it succeeded, would insure the people's loyalty to established religion in all matters pertaining to God, primarily due to the inability of experiencing God for oneself. Since government and religion are the controllers of the world, an independent Shaman/Priest/Mage/Magician/Prophet is a threat to their power. The sacramental use of Entheogens has only come into a bad/dirty light recently. This is largely due to the lumping together of any and all substances used by people (whether used for spiritual or recreation purposes) and then classifying them as "bad" (for you), "evil", "vile", and/or "dirty". This prohibition is the propaganda of the inept, corrupt, and oppressive (monetary based) war on drugs. In realty, despite the incredible amount of evidence that humanity's origins of spirituality are inseparably linked to Entheogens, governmental prohibition continues to rob each individual of their human right to directly access and understand the nature of spirituality through the traditional and ancient means provided by mother earth. People who follow the government's lead in this field, without researching the subject on an individual basis, are usually quick to jump to conclusions and condemn things they really know nothing about. Unfortunately, there are many people who have not researched this subject and believe that anything the government says must be true, yet they have absolutely no personal experience or real understanding about the subject other than the government/media-released propaganda and dis-information geared to create their agenda-based opinion; an opinion really based on ignorance. The agenda of the propaganda-pushers is not only sad but actually quite sickening because of the way it tends to lead the mindless masses of sheep right down the road to foolishness, causing them to become the unknowing pushers of the very same oppressive dis-information and propaganda which imprisons them, whilst believing the whole time that they are being right, proper, clean purveyors of the truth. As you will see, this subject is absolutely a matter of religious practice, and as such, it must be protected by Constitutional rights. As Timothy Leary put it so well, "Psychedelics often produce psychotic and even violent behavior in those that have never used them". The simple reality is that plant Entheogens are spiritual in nature.Mark Dixonnoreply@blogger.com0